Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

North Castle Water District #5

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.

 

11

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

8

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.275 ppm110.275 ppm
20190.358 ppm110.358 ppm
20200.128 ppm21ND - 0.256 ppm
20210.224 ppm21ND - 0.447 ppm
20220.542 ppm220.451 ppm - 0.633 ppm
20230.203 ppm330.114 ppm - 0.301 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
2018-07-24AU15719-NIT0.275 ppm
2019-08-05AV16475-NIT0.358 ppm
2020-02-25AW03851-NIT0.256 ppm
2020-07-21AW13838-NITND
2021-03-02AX04050-NITND
2021-07-06AX13091-NIT0.447 ppm
2022-03-01AY03628-NIT0.633 ppm
2022-07-20AY12577-NIT0.451 ppm
2023-03-21AZ05019-NIT0.114 ppm
2023-07-10AZ12339-NIT0.301 ppm
2023-09-12AZ16819-NIT0.193 ppm