Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Saint Peter

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.

 

48

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

47

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.689 ppm880.440 ppm - 0.940 ppm
20190.801 ppm880.660 ppm - 0.910 ppm
20200.688 ppm880.140 ppm - 1.000 ppm
20211.01 ppm880.620 ppm - 1.50 ppm
20221.17 ppm880.900 ppm - 1.40 ppm
20231.16 ppm880.780 ppm - 1.40 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
2018-02-1218B0664-020.730 ppm
2018-02-1218B0664-010.640 ppm
2018-04-2318D1319-020.670 ppm
2018-04-2318D1319-010.940 ppm
2018-08-2118H1912-010.790 ppm
2018-08-2118H1912-020.440 ppm
2018-10-2318J1207-010.810 ppm
2018-10-2318J1207-020.490 ppm
2019-02-0719B0393-010.880 ppm
2019-02-0719B0393-020.660 ppm
2019-04-0819D0591-010.790 ppm
2019-04-0819D0591-020.700 ppm
2019-08-1919H1757-020.800 ppm
2019-08-1919H1757-010.910 ppm
2019-11-0619K0343-010.850 ppm
2019-11-0619K0343-020.820 ppm
2020-01-0720A0243-010.960 ppm
2020-01-0720A0243-020.490 ppm
2020-04-2020D0611-010.910 ppm
2020-04-2020D0611-020.720 ppm
2020-07-1420G1039-010.730 ppm
2020-07-1420G1039-020.140 ppm
2020-10-0720J0423-011.000 ppm
2020-10-0720J0423-020.550 ppm
2021-02-0121B0079-010.880 ppm
2021-02-0121B0079-020.620 ppm
2021-04-1221D0620-011.50 ppm
2021-04-1221D0620-020.740 ppm
2021-07-2621G1742-011.40 ppm
2021-07-2621G1742-020.730 ppm
2021-10-2521J1338-011.50 ppm
2021-10-2521J1338-020.720 ppm
2022-01-3122B0043-011.30 ppm
2022-01-3122B0043-020.920 ppm
2022-05-0922E0743-011.30 ppm
2022-05-0922E0743-021.10 ppm
2022-07-2022G1471-011.30 ppm
2022-07-2022G1471-020.900 ppm
2022-11-2122K1012-011.40 ppm
2022-11-2122K1012-021.10 ppm
2023-02-1323B0987-011.40 ppm
2023-02-1323B0987-020.960 ppm
2023-04-0323D0098-011.40 ppm
2023-04-0323D0098-021.000 ppm
2023-08-2123H2253-011.40 ppm
2023-08-2123H2253-020.780 ppm
2023-10-0223J0043-011.40 ppm
2023-10-0223J0043-020.940 ppm