News | November 13, 2007

WRT Awarded North Carolina Radioactive Material License To Remove Radium And Uranium From Groundwater

Wheat Ridge, CO - The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued Water Remediation Technology, LLC (WRT) a Radioactive Material License for the removal, storage, and handling of natural radium and uranium from the state’s drinking water.

WRT will extract the naturally-occurring contaminants from water, eliminating the need for water providers to obtain their own license, and will also be responsible for the environmentally safe handling and removal of the radium to a licensed and permitted facility, preventing future contamination in the area.

“WRT has installed and operates more than 40 water treatment systems around the country, providing communities with an effective and reliable solution for removing radium and uranium from drinking water,” said Ron Dollar, vice president of sales and marketing for WRT. “The North Carolina license will allow us to bring our proven contaminant-removing technology to this state, improving water quality and minimizing liability for water providers.”

A Radioactive Material License is a requirement for water treatment systems removing radium and uranium from drinking water. WRT’s license is an innovative multi-site approach that will apply to all of WRT’s water treatment operations in North Carolina. No chemicals are added, and no liquid waste is generated—the radioactive residuals will be transported to a licensed facility outside the state of North Carolina. WRT has radioactive materials licenses already issued in several states, where full scale systems and pilots are operating.

Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines allow for a maximum radium presence in water of only 5 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) and uranium presence of only 30 µg/L (micrograms per liter). WRT’s treatment systems will ensure residents have safe drinking water by removing the radium and uranium from the water wells that are exceeding the allowed amounts to a level below EPA requirements.

According to the EPA, radium and uranium can be found naturally in soil, water and food at low concentrations. But chronic exposure to these contaminants can lead to an increased risk for serious health problems like cancer and anemia.

Colorado-based WRT services clients on a national level with full-scale installations underway in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

SOURCE: WRT - Water Remediation Technology

 

WRT - Water Remediation Technology