Nitrate
City of Steubenville
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2014 | 0.914 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.620 ppm - 1.25 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.828 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.550 ppm - 1.18 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.843 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.590 ppm - 1.05 ppm |
| 2017 | 0.800 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.570 ppm - 1.11 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.811 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.600 ppm - 1.000 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.869 ppm | 10 | 10 | 0.686 ppm - 1.18 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-14 | A140115707 | 1.10 ppm |
| 2014-02-11 | A140119502 | 1.000 ppm |
| 2014-03-11 | A140133637 | 1.25 ppm |
| 2014-04-08 | A140136478 | 0.900 ppm |
| 2014-05-13 | A140141595 | 0.620 ppm |
| 2014-06-10 | A140147735 | 0.950 ppm |
| 2014-07-08 | A140147739 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2014-08-12 | A140165433 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-09-09 | A140170221 | 0.940 ppm |
| 2014-10-14 | A140176552 | 1.10 ppm |
| 2014-11-11 | A140201622 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2014-12-09 | A140201626 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2015-01-13 | A150213454 | 1.18 ppm |
| 2015-02-10 | A150230619 | 1.03 ppm |
| 2015-03-10 | A150240514 | 0.920 ppm |
| 2015-04-14 | A150255172 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2015-05-12 | A150262976 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2015-06-09 | A150265220 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2015-07-14 | A150278182 | 0.550 ppm |
| 2015-08-11 | A150282265 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2015-09-08 | A150288256 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2015-10-13 | A150299455 | 1.000 ppm |
| 2015-11-10 | A150299459 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2015-12-08 | A150309284 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2016-01-12 | A160334569 | 0.940 ppm |
| 2016-02-09 | A160124523 | 1.02 ppm |
| 2016-03-08 | A160327950 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2016-04-12 | A160342996 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2016-05-10 | A160350194 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2016-06-14 | A160361019 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2016-07-12 | A160403931 | 0.980 ppm |
| 2016-08-09 | A160402920 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2016-09-06 | A160402923 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2016-10-11 | A160402929 | 1.05 ppm |
| 2016-11-08 | A160402933 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2016-12-13 | A160403929 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2017-01-10 | A170403939 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2017-02-14 | A170412893 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2017-03-14 | A170412888 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2017-04-11 | A170412892 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-05-09 | A170424220 | 0.570 ppm |
| 2017-06-13 | A170424804 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2017-07-11 | A170430795 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-08-08 | A170435166 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2017-09-12 | A170453018 | 1.11 ppm |
| 2017-10-10 | A170460839 | 1.03 ppm |
| 2017-11-14 | A170462795 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2017-12-12 | A170476510 | 0.950 ppm |
| 2018-01-09 | A180490780 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2018-02-13 | A180490782 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2018-03-13 | A180497931 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2018-04-10 | A180539291 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2018-05-08 | A180511483 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2018-06-12 | A180515573 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2018-07-10 | A180527044 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2018-08-07 | A180503924 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2018-09-11 | A180528135 | 1.000 ppm |
| 2018-10-09 | A180545791 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2018-11-13 | 8K01526-02 | 0.715 ppm |
| 2018-12-11 | 8L01301-01 | 0.816 ppm |
| 2019-01-08 | 9A01028-02 | 0.745 ppm |
| 2019-02-12 | 9B01300-02 | 0.827 ppm |
| 2019-03-12 | 9C01406-01 | 0.903 ppm |
| 2019-04-09 | 9D01171-02 | 0.686 ppm |
| 2019-05-14 | 9E01953-01 | 0.816 ppm |
| 2019-06-11 | 9F01420-01 | 0.688 ppm |
| 2019-07-09 | 9G01223-01 | 0.737 ppm |
| 2019-08-13 | 9H01855-01 | 1.03 ppm |
| 2019-09-10 | 9I01337-01 | 1.18 ppm |
| 2019-10-08 | 9J01152-02 | 1.08 ppm |