Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Collierville Water Department

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.

 

28

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

28

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.454 ppm440.249 ppm - 0.677 ppm
20190.466 ppm440.230 ppm - 0.692 ppm
20200.374 ppm440.228 ppm - 0.594 ppm
20210.528 ppm440.296 ppm - 0.754 ppm
20220.606 ppm880.460 ppm - 0.794 ppm
20230.510 ppm440.275 ppm - 0.712 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 Result
2018-05-150.249 ppm
2018-05-150.677 ppm
2018-05-150.430 ppm
2018-05-150.460 ppm
2019-03-110.513 ppm
2019-03-110.230 ppm
2019-03-110.692 ppm
2019-03-110.428 ppm
2020-03-050.281 ppm
2020-03-050.594 ppm
2020-03-050.228 ppm
2020-03-050.394 ppm
2021-03-180.473 ppm
2021-03-180.754 ppm
2021-03-180.296 ppm
2021-03-180.587 ppm
2022-03-080.660 ppm
2022-03-080.460 ppm
2022-03-080.794 ppm
2022-03-080.510 ppm
2022-03-080.660 ppm
2022-03-080.460 ppm
2022-03-080.794 ppm
2022-03-080.510 ppm
2023-03-150.531 ppm
2023-03-150.275 ppm
2023-03-150.712 ppm
2023-03-150.522 ppm