Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Denton County Fresh Water Supply District 8-c

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.

 

36

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

19

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.363 ppm660.0457 ppm - 0.829 ppm
20190.344 ppm660.0499 ppm - 0.771 ppm
20200.314 ppm660.0481 ppm - 0.927 ppm
20210.301 ppm660.0496 ppm - 0.625 ppm
20220.241 ppm660.0608 ppm - 0.582 ppm
20230.274 ppm660.0272 ppm - 0.653 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
2018-02-12Q18059530110.0457 ppm
2018-02-12Q18059530060.0595 ppm
2018-02-12Q18059530120.829 ppm
2018-05-22Q18205870010.614 ppm
2018-08-27Q18347060010.0926 ppm
2018-12-06Q18500390010.535 ppm
2019-03-27Q19127590060.0563 ppm
2019-03-27Q19127590070.771 ppm
2019-03-27Q19127590080.0499 ppm
2019-06-24Q19395770010.427 ppm
2019-09-16Q19650200010.0864 ppm
2019-12-12Q19799680010.676 ppm
2020-03-19Q20120190090.0481 ppm
2020-03-19Q20120190140.927 ppm
2020-03-19Q20120190150.0559 ppm
2020-05-26Q20206520010.293 ppm
2020-09-10Q20361090010.240 ppm
2020-10-28Q20416680010.320 ppm
2021-03-24Q21075860010.625 ppm
2021-06-14Q21154420010.528 ppm
2021-09-23Q21261230010.126 ppm
2021-12-07Q21344370080.0517 ppm
2021-12-07Q21344370110.0496 ppm
2021-12-07Q21344370120.426 ppm
2022-02-10Q22049530010.582 ppm
2022-04-27Q22126150030.0614 ppm
2022-04-27Q22126150040.466 ppm
2022-07-27Q22213880010.0925 ppm
2022-07-27Q22213880070.0608 ppm
2022-10-21Q22320030010.182 ppm
2023-01-25Q23035520010.653 ppm
2023-06-12Q23221140010.107 ppm
2023-08-02Q23314470020.315 ppm
2023-08-02Q23314470030.0666 ppm
2023-11-06Q23478020060.0272 ppm
2023-11-06Q23478020110.477 ppm