DOE says high radiation in water a false alarm

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 9:41 a.m.

A groundwater sample taken by Nye County scientists from a monitoring well south of the Nevada Test Site that registered high radiation levels last week is a false alarm, Department of Energy officials said.

Results of other water samples taken by federal scientists from the same well Thursday showed the radioactivity levels detected in the Nye County sample were in error, according to an Energy Department statement Monday.

The DOE said the subject sample might have been contaminated by drilling materials and did not take into account natural uranium and radon.

The levels, based on the DOE's analysis, were within federal drinking water guidelines and not as high as what has been reported in some of Southern Nevada's tap water.

Representatives from the Energy Department, Nye County and the state Health Division took additional samples from the well Thursday, two days after Nye County officials said their initial sample contained radioactivity 25 times the federal safe drinking water standard.

Nye County Manager Jerry McKnight said results from more detailed tests of samples won't be available until next week.