Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

West Knox Utility District

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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

12

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.474 ppm220.395 ppm - 0.553 ppm
20190.694 ppm220.687 ppm - 0.701 ppm
20200.474 ppm220.464 ppm - 0.484 ppm
20210.361 ppm220.334 ppm - 0.388 ppm
20220.536 ppm220.535 ppm - 0.537 ppm
20230.305 ppm220.294 ppm - 0.315 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
2018-07-190.553 ppm
2018-07-190.395 ppm
2019-07-100.687 ppm
2019-07-100.701 ppm
2020-07-100.464 ppm
2020-07-100.484 ppm
2021-07-080.388 ppm
2021-07-080.334 ppm
2022-07-120.537 ppm
2022-07-120.535 ppm
2023-07-100.294 ppm
2023-07-100.315 ppm