Nitrate

Northwest Grayson County Water Control and Improvement District 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.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Detections	Range of results
2014	0.0498 ppm	2	2	0.0480 ppm - 0.0515 ppm
2015	0.0485 ppm	3	3	0.0465 ppm - 0.0515 ppm
2016	ND	2	0	ND
2017	0.0378 ppm	3	3	0.0367 ppm - 0.0390 ppm
2018	0.0360 ppm	2	2	0.0356 ppm - 0.0363 ppm
2019	0.0677 ppm	2	2	0.0555 ppm - 0.0799 ppm

ppm = parts per million

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.14 ppm

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.14 ppm for nitrate was defined by EWG . This health guideline protects against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.

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
2014-09-10	Q1442910003	0.0480 ppm
2014-09-10	Q1442910004	0.0515 ppm
2015-07-22	Q1528461007	0.0515 ppm
2015-07-22	Q1528461008	0.0475 ppm
2015-07-22	Q1528329001	0.0465 ppm
2016-11-03	Q1647470004	ND
2016-11-03	Q1647470005	ND
2017-11-14	Q1758443003	0.0390 ppm
2017-11-14	Q1758443004	0.0377 ppm
2017-11-14	Q1758443015	0.0367 ppm
2018-11-19	Q1847248004	0.0356 ppm
2018-11-19	Q1847248012	0.0363 ppm
2019-03-06	Q1909735004	0.0555 ppm
2019-03-06	Q1909735011	0.0799 ppm