Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Monson Utilities District

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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

6

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.360 ppm220.120 ppm - 0.600 ppm
20190.380 ppm220.110 ppm - 0.650 ppm
20200.340 ppm220.120 ppm - 0.560 ppm
20210.310 ppm220.1000 ppm - 0.520 ppm
20220.230 ppm220.1000 ppm - 0.360 ppm
20230.265 ppm220.0600 ppm - 0.470 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
2018-05-211804240-010.120 ppm
2018-05-211804239-010.600 ppm
2019-09-161903905-010.110 ppm
2019-09-161903904-010.650 ppm
2020-12-082004112-010.120 ppm
2020-12-082004111-010.560 ppm
2021-03-232102686-010.1000 ppm
2021-03-232102685-010.520 ppm
2022-12-072203125-010.1000 ppm
2022-12-072203124-010.360 ppm
2023-08-222303401-010.0600 ppm
2023-08-222303400-010.470 ppm