Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Marilee Elmont

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)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0581 ppm330.0535 ppm - 0.0650 ppm
20190.0660 ppm330.0552 ppm - 0.0805 ppm
20200.0659 ppm330.0438 ppm - 0.0847 ppm
20210.0594 ppm330.0428 ppm - 0.0691 ppm
20220.0434 ppm32ND - 0.0700 ppm
20230.0533 ppm330.0421 ppm - 0.0620 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
2018-03-06Q18092850140.0535 ppm
2018-03-06Q18092850020.0557 ppm
2018-12-11Q18509630040.0650 ppm
2019-03-28Q19126900010.0805 ppm
2019-03-28Q19126900080.0624 ppm
2019-10-23Q19734230050.0552 ppm
2020-10-15Q20405000090.0847 ppm
2020-10-15Q20405000100.0438 ppm
2020-10-15Q20405000110.0693 ppm
2021-10-13Q21286580150.0691 ppm
2021-10-13Q21286580230.0428 ppm
2021-10-13Q21286580220.0664 ppm
2022-06-15Q22166890010.0602 ppm
2022-06-15Q22166890140.0700 ppm
2022-06-15Q2216689015ND
2023-08-14Q23336840090.0620 ppm
2023-08-14Q23336840100.0421 ppm
2023-10-31Q23465610030.0558 ppm