Nitrate
Lima City
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.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1.19 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.600 ppm - 2.36 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.919 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.127 ppm - 1.79 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.932 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.248 ppm - 2.06 ppm |
| 2017 | 1.17 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.158 ppm - 3.41 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.781 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.215 ppm - 1.53 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.753 ppm | 10 | 10 | 0.430 ppm - 1.21 ppm |
ppm = parts per million
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
EWG Health Guideline 0.14 ppm
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.14 ppm for nitrate was defined by EWG . This health guideline protects against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-07 | 25799 | 1.34 ppm |
| 2014-02-06 | 25919 | 1.24 ppm |
| 2014-03-06 | 26032 | 2.05 ppm |
| 2014-04-25 | 26230 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2014-05-06 | 26274 | 2.36 ppm |
| 2014-06-05 | 26391 | 1.76 ppm |
| 2014-07-10 | 26527 | 1.21 ppm |
| 2014-08-27 | 26710 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2014-09-09 | 26762 | 0.796 ppm |
| 2014-10-22 | 26933 | 0.715 ppm |
| 2014-11-20 | 27048 | 0.769 ppm |
| 2014-12-05 | 27107 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2015-01-23 | 27299 | 1.01 ppm |
| 2015-02-05 | 27351 | 0.763 ppm |
| 2015-03-18 | 27515 | 1.79 ppm |
| 2015-04-24 | 27662 | 1.30 ppm |
| 2015-05-06 | 27730 | 1.18 ppm |
| 2015-06-05 | 27845 | 1.47 ppm |
| 2015-07-08 | 27977 | 1.03 ppm |
| 2015-08-13 | 28169 | 0.801 ppm |
| 2015-09-03 | 28254 | 0.703 ppm |
| 2015-10-23 | 28450 | 0.454 ppm |
| 2015-11-10 | 28524 | 0.127 ppm |
| 2015-12-09 | 28639 | 0.395 ppm |
| 2016-01-11 | 28772 | 0.408 ppm |
| 2016-02-19 | 28975 | 2.06 ppm |
| 2016-03-10 | 29053 | 0.416 ppm |
| 2016-04-15 | 29198 | 1.60 ppm |
| 2016-05-11 | 29335 | 0.473 ppm |
| 2016-06-09 | 29449 | 1.27 ppm |
| 2016-07-15 | 29593 | 1.02 ppm |
| 2016-08-05 | 29707 | 1.08 ppm |
| 2016-09-14 | 29867 | 1.09 ppm |
| 2016-10-04 | 29945 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2016-11-11 | 30099 | 0.248 ppm |
| 2016-12-07 | 30200 | 0.708 ppm |
| 2017-01-17 | 30364 | 0.276 ppm |
| 2017-02-03 | 30432 | 1.86 ppm |
| 2017-03-08 | 30563 | 0.451 ppm |
| 2017-04-21 | 31097 | 2.75 ppm |
| 2017-05-10 | 31173 | 0.408 ppm |
| 2017-06-14 | 31311 | 3.41 ppm |
| 2017-07-12 | 31424 | 0.442 ppm |
| 2017-08-17 | 31565 | 2.21 ppm |
| 2017-09-11 | 31665 | 0.158 ppm |
| 2017-10-13 | 31792 | 0.824 ppm |
| 2017-11-08 | 31847 | 0.177 ppm |
| 2017-12-06 | 31959 | 1.12 ppm |
| 2018-01-02 | 39071 | 0.215 ppm |
| 2018-02-09 | 39222 | 1.53 ppm |
| 2018-03-07 | 39326 | 0.330 ppm |
| 2018-04-30 | 39544 | 0.410 ppm |
| 2018-05-18 | 39614 | 0.300 ppm |
| 2018-06-01 | 39670 | 1.27 ppm |
| 2018-07-12 | 39834 | 0.259 ppm |
| 2018-08-03 | 39922 | 1.06 ppm |
| 2018-09-07 | 40062 | 0.816 ppm |
| 2018-10-12 | 40202 | 1.05 ppm |
| 2018-11-09 | 40313 | 0.935 ppm |
| 2018-12-11 | 40442 | 1.20 ppm |
| 2019-01-16 | 40586 | 0.798 ppm |
| 2019-02-14 | 40702 | 0.877 ppm |
| 2019-03-08 | 40790 | 0.464 ppm |
| 2019-04-05 | 40903 | 0.868 ppm |
| 2019-05-21 | 41087 | 1.21 ppm |
| 2019-06-25 | 41226 | 0.724 ppm |
| 2019-07-23 | 41337 | 0.430 ppm |
| 2019-08-14 | 41426 | 0.456 ppm |
| 2019-09-10 | 41534 | 0.862 ppm |
| 2019-10-09 | 41649 | 0.841 ppm |