Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Armstrong Valley-cal Water Service (puc)

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.

 

14

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

6

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND30ND
20210.160 ppm21ND - 0.320 ppm
20220.500 ppm220.500 ppm
20230.310 ppm330.290 ppm - 0.340 ppm

ppm = parts per million

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm

The EWG health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.

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
2018-06-25CA4910018_002_002-201806251245ND
2018-09-26CA4910018_001_001-201809261020ND
2019-05-28CA4910018_001_001-201905280855ND
2019-06-19CA4910018_002_002-201906190955ND
2020-03-24CA4910018_002_002-202003240930ND
2020-05-26CA4910018_001_001-202005260805ND
2020-06-15CA4910018_002_002-202006150850ND
2021-05-24CA4910018_001_001-202105241030ND
2021-11-29CA4910018_002_002-2021112909000.320 ppm
2022-05-24CA4910018_001_001-2022052410400.500 ppm
2022-05-24CA4910018_002_002-2022052410350.500 ppm
2023-05-22CA4910018_001_001-2023052210550.290 ppm
2023-06-12CA4910018_002_002-2023061209000.340 ppm
2023-06-12CA4910018_002_002-2023061209050.300 ppm