Permian Basin Community Seeks Fix for Radium in Its Drinking Water

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IMPERIAL, Texas—Many residents of this small town drive long distances to buy bottled water instead of opening up the tap.

Pecos County Fresh Water, a county-operated utility, provides drinking water for 800 people in Imperial and the surrounding area. The utility routinely violates safe drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency for “combined radium” and “gross alpha,” two metrics of radioactivity in water. The culprit is natur...