Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Oak Ridge Department of Public Works

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.

 

7

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

7

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.198 ppm110.198 ppm
20190.470 ppm110.470 ppm
20200.415 ppm110.415 ppm
20210.245 ppm110.245 ppm
20220.209 ppm220.209 ppm
20230.334 ppm110.334 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
2018-02-070.198 ppm
2019-02-130.470 ppm
2020-02-120.415 ppm
2021-02-100.245 ppm
2022-02-090.209 ppm
2022-02-090.209 ppm
2023-02-080.334 ppm