Maricopa County · Arizona · EPA SDWIS 2026Q2
Radium-226 in New River water
Radium-226 measured above the federal limit in New River's public supply.
Radium-226
Violation on record
3 EPA records on file (most recent 2025). Radium-226 is a naturally radioactive isotope that seeps from rock into groundwater. Over years of exposure it concentrates in bone and raises the risk of bone and other cancers. It is regulated together with radium-228 under the combined radium standard.
EPA records reflect the public water system, not your home's plumbing. The EPA health goal (MCLG) is the level below which there is no known or expected health risk — it is non-enforceable and often stricter than the federal legal limit (the MCL). A utility appearing on this list does not by itself mean the water is unsafe to drink. The only way to know what is in your specific home is to test your own water.
The health-based goal vs. the legal limit
The federal legal limit (MCL) is the maximum allowed by law. The health-based goal (EPA MCLG / WHO) is a stricter health target — not itself a legal limit.
EPA health goal (MCLG)
No federal health goal set
Federal legal limit (MCL)
5 pCi/L
Source: EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (MCL / MCLG) · 2026
What removes Radium-226
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Ion exchange
Water Softener
Swaps the calcium and magnesium that cause hard water for sodium — so scale stops forming.
Look for: NSF/ANSI 44 certification
How it works→Semipermeable membrane filtration
Reverse Osmosis
Pushes water through a fine membrane that removes the dissolved solids most filters miss.
Look for: NSF/ANSI 58 certification
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Is Radium-226 in your water?
See every contaminant on record in New River — including Radium-226 — what each means for your health, and how to remove it. Free, emailed to you.