Nitrate

Choctaw Utilities Inc.

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.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

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	0.500 ppm	4	4	0.300 ppm - 0.620 ppm
2015	0.318 ppm	4	4	0.230 ppm - 0.390 ppm
2016	0.340 ppm	2	2	0.300 ppm - 0.380 ppm
2017	0.480 ppm	2	2	0.430 ppm - 0.530 ppm
2018	0.331 ppm	2	1	ND - 0.661 ppm
2019	0.797 ppm	2	2	0.634 ppm - 0.960 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
2014-01-27	A140147712	0.300 ppm
2014-04-15	A140041318	0.600 ppm
2014-07-15	A140201579	0.480 ppm
2014-10-20	A140240567	0.620 ppm
2015-01-20	A150259143	0.230 ppm
2015-04-21	A150277796	0.370 ppm
2015-07-28	A150223312	0.390 ppm
2015-12-15	A150319254	0.280 ppm
2016-06-21	A160412601	0.300 ppm
2016-11-28	A160120571	0.380 ppm
2017-09-26	A170534884	0.430 ppm
2017-11-21	A170547994	0.530 ppm
2018-07-20	A180626053	ND
2018-11-19	8K02322-01	0.661 ppm
2019-07-16	9G02462-03	0.634 ppm
2019-10-15	9J02375-01	0.960 ppm