Scientists Brought In To Study Uranium In Glastonbury Well Water

GLASTONBURY, CT — Glastonbury officials have formally partnered with the Thriving Earth Exchange program as part of its ongoing efforts to address naturally occurring uranium in well water in the Glastonbury community.

Thje announcement was made Monday.

Through the partnership, several scientists with "subject matter expertise" will be working with Glastonbury officials to better understand the patterns and levels of uranium in town, and "develop next steps to address this local well water challenge," according to the announcement.

During recent conversations, one of the scientists connected Glastonbury staff with Wake County, NC officials, who first discovered elevated uranium levels in their well water in 2010. Over the coming months, the Town will work closely with the Thriving Earth Exchange project team and Wake County officials to better understand the current conditions in Glastonbury and to develop an action plan.

The partnership efforts are "one of many steps the Town of Glastonbury has taken to address uranium concerns in the community," officials said.

In February 2019, a homeowner in town shared well water test results with the Glastonbury Health Department, which indicated elevated levels of uranium. Since then, through a collaboration with the CT Department of Public Health, nearly 600 well water samples have been collected and tested to date, and two "neighborhoods of interest" were identified in the community.

Officials have said the area extends from the northeast section of town to the southwest and the diagonal pattern of the contamination has something to do with the path of the Glastonbury "gneiss bedrock formation," where elevated levels of uranium are found.

The uranium plaguing Glastonbury wells is naturally occurring and not the result of human pollution, officials have said.

The scientists contracted through the Thriving Earth Exchange program will be focusing their research and analysis on the areas of interest and will be reporting back with their findings, officials said.

Residents can stay apprised of the efforts by visiting www.glastonbury-ct.gov/uranium.