Nitrate

Kingstree, Town of

Nitrate, a fertilizer chemical, frequently contaminates drinking water due to agricultural and urban runoff, and discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants and septic tanks. Excessive nitrate in water can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increase the risk of cancer. Click here to read more about nitrate.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Detections	Range of results
2014	0.0235 ppm	4	1	ND - 0.0940 ppm
2015	ND	4	0	ND
2016	0.0158 ppm	4	1	ND - 0.0630 ppm
2017	ND	4	0	ND
2018	ND	4	0	ND
2019	0.00900 ppm	4	1	ND - 0.0360 ppm

ppm = parts per million

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.14 ppm

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.14 ppm for nitrate was defined by EWG . This health guideline protects against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) 10 ppm

The legal limit for nitrate, established in 1962, was developed to protect infants from acute methemoglobinemia, a life-threatening disorder of oxygen transport in the body. This limit does not fully protect against the risk of cancer and harm to the developing fetus.

ppm = parts per million

All test results

Date	Lab ID	Result
2014-08-06	AD43664	ND
2014-08-06	AD43665	0.0940 ppm
2014-08-06	AD43666	ND
2014-08-06	AD43663	ND
2015-07-09	AD57875	ND
2015-07-09	AD57876	ND
2015-07-09	AD57877	ND
2015-07-09	AD57878	ND
2016-07-13	AD78924	ND
2016-07-13	AD78929	ND
2016-07-13	AD78923	ND
2016-07-13	AD78922	0.0630 ppm
2017-12-07	AE04896	ND
2017-12-07	AE04899	ND
2017-12-07	AE04898	ND
2017-12-07	AE04897	ND
2018-07-05	AE14506	ND
2018-07-05	AE14507	ND
2018-07-05	AE14508	ND
2018-07-05	AE14509	ND
2019-08-07	AE34894	ND
2019-08-07	AE34895	ND
2019-08-07	AE34937	ND
2019-08-07	AE34940	0.0360 ppm