SWEET HOME, OREGON — Nearly a quarter of private wells recently tested here indicated arsenic levels that exceed federal standards, according to a recent article in The New Era.
Eighty-four local wells were tested for arsenic and nitrates through the Oregon Well Water Program, administered through Oregon State University's extension services, according to the article, and of those, 20 exceeded the 10 parts per billion (ppb) US Environmental Protection Agency standard currently in use for arsenic in public water systems.
Arsenic was detected in 31 wells, and Gail Glick Andrews, an Oregon State University professor who runs the program, was quoted in the article as saying that five samples exceeded the 50 ppb standard that formerly was used.
Few well water samples indicated the presence of nitrates, according to Andrews, and several tests indicated the presence of E. coli bacteria, the article reports.
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