Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Westchester County Water District #3

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

8

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.161 ppm110.161 ppm
20190.129 ppm110.129 ppm
20200.302 ppm440.0970 ppm - 0.880 ppm
20210.162 ppm440.143 ppm - 0.208 ppm
20220.161 ppm440.101 ppm - 0.262 ppm
20230.0952 ppm440.0668 ppm - 0.135 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
2018-10-02AU213276NIT0.161 ppm
2019-11-21AV24564NIT0.129 ppm
2020-04-28AW07856NIT0.124 ppm
2020-11-17AW22089NIT0.880 ppm
2020-12-15AW23891-NIT0.105 ppm
2020-12-15AW23893-NIT0.0970 ppm
2021-04-06AX06359-NIT0.208 ppm
2021-10-29AX21799-NIT0.143 ppm
2021-11-09AX22573-NIT0.150 ppm
2021-11-09AX22576-NIT0.145 ppm
2022-04-11AY05984-NIT0.123 ppm
2022-10-19AY18880-NIT0.101 ppm
2022-11-01AY19681-NIT0.262 ppm
2022-11-01AY19679-NIT0.156 ppm
2023-04-25AZ07359-NIT0.135 ppm
2023-10-19AZ19381-NIT0.101 ppm
2023-11-01AZ20240-NIT0.0668 ppm
2023-11-01AZ20238-NIT0.0778 ppm