Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Bois D Arc Municipal 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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

1

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0614 ppm330.0548 ppm - 0.0679 ppm
20190.188 ppm330.0593 ppm - 0.434 ppm
20200.0351 ppm32ND - 0.0838 ppm
20210.0810 ppm330.0474 ppm - 0.129 ppm
20220.0793 ppm330.0503 ppm - 0.131 ppm
20230.0817 ppm330.0506 ppm - 0.133 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
2018-11-05Q18440670020.0614 ppm
2018-11-05Q18440670070.0679 ppm
2018-11-05Q18440670010.0548 ppm
2019-09-04Q19620330090.0705 ppm
2019-09-04Q19620330100.0593 ppm
2019-09-04Q19620330110.434 ppm
2020-10-28Q20416540070.0214 ppm
2020-10-28Q2041654008ND
2020-10-28Q20416540090.0838 ppm
2021-01-26Q21018730080.0474 ppm
2021-06-23Q21164680140.129 ppm
2021-06-23Q21164680150.0666 ppm
2022-07-05Q22186010110.131 ppm
2022-07-05Q22186010120.0565 ppm
2022-07-05Q22186010130.0503 ppm
2023-02-09Q23051650080.0614 ppm
2023-06-27Q23246550020.0506 ppm
2023-06-27Q23246550130.133 ppm