NJDEP, NJGWS, Division of Water Supply and Geoscience, Bureau of Water Resources and GeoscienceThis update (2024) includes the radionuclides data from the 6th sampling cycle (2020-2022) of the New Jersey Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network (AGWQMN). Radioisotopes (radionuclides) are unstable isotopes of specific elements that emit radioactivity. Alpha particles are a type of ionizing radiation ejected by the nuclei of certain unstable atoms. These particles are essentially a helium nucleus having two protons and two neutrons. Most alpha emitters occur naturally in the environment. For example, the decay of naturally occurring uranium and thorium include many radioactive daughters that decay via alpha emission. Radionuclides are present in varying amounts in nearly all rocks, soils, and water. Human activity can also release radioactive substances into the environment. For this project, gross alpha and gross beta radoiactivity are measured in groundwater samples. The unit of measurement is picocuries per liter (pCi/L). New Jersey's AGWQMN is a cooperative program between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and United States Geological Survey (USGS). The goals of the current network are to determine the status and trends of shallow groundwater quality as a function of land use related to non-point source pollution in New Jersey. This network consists of 150 monitoring wells screened at the water table. Thirty of these wells were sampled per year on a 5 year cycle from 1999-2013. Beginning with the 4th sampling cycle in 2014, the sampling frequency was changed to once every 3 years (3-year cycle). This layer includes data from sampling cycle 6; samples were collected between 2020 and 2022. The New Jersey Geological and Water Survey (NJGWS) manages the network design, well installation, well maintenance, data interpretation, reporting, and a portion of the well sampling. The NJDEP Bureau of Fresh Water and Biological Monitoring and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) collect the remaining ground-water samples and the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado or their contracted laboratories analyzes them. Chemical and physical parameters analyzed at each well include field parameters such as pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, water temperature and alkalinity, major ions, trace elements (metals), gross-alpha particle activity (radionuclides), volatile organic compounds, nutrients, and pesticides.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/0d733807db4145808389f635662dacb1_5engNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Bureau of GISPublicNJ Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network, Radionuclides, 2020-2022 [New Jersey]Web servicesNew Jersey2020-2022