Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Ellis County FWSD 1

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.

 

13

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

10

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.733 ppm770.420 ppm - 1.14 ppm
20190.597 ppm440.510 ppm - 0.806 ppm
20200.0985 ppm110.0985 ppm
20210.304 ppm440.0654 ppm - 0.588 ppm
20220.306 ppm440.250 ppm - 0.350 ppm
20230.328 ppm440.112 ppm - 0.476 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
2020-12-07Q20486530010.0985 ppm
2021-03-15Q21066650010.290 ppm
2021-06-07Q21147380010.588 ppm
2021-08-23Q21228130010.273 ppm
2021-12-08Q21343980010.0654 ppm
2022-02-22Q22061710010.250 ppm
2022-04-26Q22126050010.292 ppm
2022-09-20Q22281060010.333 ppm
2022-11-28Q22351920010.350 ppm
2023-02-13Q23054940010.476 ppm
2023-05-01Q23162840020.352 ppm
2023-08-22Q23354410010.112 ppm
2023-11-27Q23503990010.373 ppm