Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Scientists Cliffs

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.

 

13

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND20ND
2022ND20ND
2023ND20ND

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
2018-05-02DH_18_0372ND
2018-12-05DH_18_0658ND
2019-03-19DH_19_0300ND
2019-04-10DH_19_0372ND
2020-02-12DH_20_0208ND
2020-03-10DH-20-0284ND
2020-03-10DH_20_0284ND
2021-01-13DH_21_0074ND
2021-01-13DH_21_0081ND
2022-01-13DH_22_0075ND
2022-01-13DH_22_0078ND
2023-01-11DH-23-0065ND
2023-02-21DH-23-0274ND