Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

B C Y Water Supply Corporation

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.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0192 ppm440.0124 ppm - 0.0365 ppm
20190.0171 ppm440.0123 ppm - 0.0273 ppm
20200.0195 ppm440.0127 ppm - 0.0373 ppm
20210.0225 ppm440.0139 ppm - 0.0396 ppm
20220.0184 ppm440.0121 ppm - 0.0296 ppm
20230.0195 ppm440.0140 ppm - 0.0301 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 Lab ID Result
2018-06-21Q18248460030.0149 ppm
2018-06-21Q18248460080.0124 ppm
2018-06-21Q18248460090.0131 ppm
2018-06-21Q18248460020.0365 ppm
2019-03-13Q19105500040.0133 ppm
2019-03-13Q19105500080.0123 ppm
2019-03-13Q19105500130.0153 ppm
2019-03-13Q19105500180.0273 ppm
2020-02-10Q20053140170.0373 ppm
2020-02-10Q20053140180.0127 ppm
2020-03-02Q20077560040.0136 ppm
2020-03-02Q20077560090.0142 ppm
2021-09-21Q21258180100.0396 ppm
2021-09-21Q21258180150.0202 ppm
2021-09-21Q21258180140.0163 ppm
2021-09-21Q21258180130.0139 ppm
2022-10-27Q22325510020.0169 ppm
2022-10-27Q22325510070.0296 ppm
2022-10-27Q22325510080.0121 ppm
2022-10-27Q22325510090.0149 ppm
2023-01-10Q23012140010.0140 ppm
2023-01-10Q23012140020.0190 ppm
2023-05-01Q23162590010.0301 ppm
2023-11-13Q23484100020.0148 ppm