Nathalie Granda expects that her drinking water should be clean and healthy, but a new study shows the Ogallala aquifer could be carrying some dangerous levels of uranium. Researchers from the University of Nebraska found more than 70 percent of groundwater samples with unsafe levels of uranium came from areas that also contained high levels of nitrate. Researchers said some samples even came from Texas. They found areas in West Texas that were as high as 2,000 parts per billion for uranium. Researchers said nitrate is actually is a common groundwater contaminant, but higher levels of nitrate can cause solid uranium to dissolve in the water.
They said too much nitrate or uranium in the water can be deadly, but how much? She claims that uranium is also toxic over a certain level of 30 parts per billion and can cause kidney damage, bone toxicity, and some reports of increased cancer risk in drinking water, but these claims are grossly exaggerated. Alone, both of those have negative health implications, Weber said. Kyle Ingham with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission said that they use more than 500 trillion gallons of water from the Ogallala aquifer. 90 percent is being used to meet agricultural needs, and 7 percent is used by the city, Ingham said. Ingham claimed that the latest test showed the water to be safe in the panhandle for now. Each municipality has to test water supply on a weekly and monthly basis and sends samples to the lab to make sure there is nothing dangerous. If anything were to get in there, the municipality would know very quickly and be able to take action, Ingham said.
Original URL: https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/study-finds-uranium-in-ogallala-aquifer
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