The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Friday it is reviewing water quality at the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center in Nampa after well water tests revealed elevated uranium levels — raising concerns at a facility that serves residents with intellectual disabilities.
What Was Found and Where
Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, known as SWITC, is a state-operated Nampa campus that provides care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Water quality concerns were brought to the department last week, prompting testing of wells serving White Hall — a building on the SWITC campus that houses administration offices, maintenance operations, and landscape shops.
Those test results came back showing high uranium levels. Other buildings on the SWITC campus draw water from Nampa’s municipal water system and are not affected by the well water findings.
Uranium is a naturally occurring, mildly radioactive element present in rocks, soil, and groundwater across much of the region. In well water, it typically enters from the surrounding rock formation where the well is drilled. Health officials classify uranium as a chronic contaminant, meaning the primary concern is long-term exposure — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links prolonged uranium ingestion to kidney damage.
Historical Testing and Risk Context
SWITC’s wells were tested for uranium routinely from 2008 through 2021. Over that entire span, annual average uranium levels remained below the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level. The most recent test on record was conducted in December 2021, and those results also fell within acceptable limits.
The gap between that 2021 test and the current findings is now drawing scrutiny. IDHW confirmed its internal water testing policies and procedures are under review as officials work to understand how and when monitoring lapsed.
DHW Director Juliet Charron addressed the situation directly, saying she is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness. At the same time, she noted the historical data offers some reassurance: “Based on what we know about uranium exposure and the results of previous testing of SWITC’s well water, it is likely the risk is very low,” Charron said.
Steps Being Taken to Protect Residents and Staff
The department has notified staff, current residents, and families of residents about the findings. As a precautionary measure, staff at White Hall are being supplied with bottled water while additional testing continues.
Longer term, the department said White Hall will be connected to Nampa’s city water supply within the next year, eliminating reliance on the well water that tested high. That transition mirrors what other campus buildings already have — access to treated municipal water rather than well water drawn from the local aquifer.
“I am taking this very seriously out of an abundance of caution,” Charron said in a public statement.
For Canyon County families and residents near SWITC, the situation underscores the importance of routine monitoring for naturally occurring contaminants in Idaho’s groundwater. The Treasure Valley sits atop a significant aquifer system, and uranium occurrence in local well water — while often within safe limits — is not uncommon given the region’s geology.
What Comes Next
Health officials say testing at SWITC is ongoing, and results will help shape next steps for the affected well water systems. The review of IDHW’s water testing protocols could result in changes to how frequently state-operated facilities are required to test for uranium and other chronic contaminants going forward.
Families of SWITC residents with questions are encouraged to contact the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare directly through its official website. The department has not released a timeline for completing the expanded testing, but indicated updates will be provided as results come in.
For broader public health developments across Canyon County and the Treasure Valley, including other emergency response and safety stories, visit coverage of Idaho EMS funding challenges affecting communities throughout the region.