Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

West Harris County Municipal Utility District 15

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.

 

14

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

12

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.350 ppm220.300 ppm - 0.400 ppm
20190.753 ppm220.590 ppm - 0.916 ppm
20200.400 ppm220.320 ppm - 0.480 ppm
20210.235 ppm220.110 ppm - 0.360 ppm
20220.265 ppm220.250 ppm - 0.280 ppm
20230.650 ppm440.0600 ppm - 1.22 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
2018-03-05AE165450.300 ppm
2018-03-05AE165460.400 ppm
2019-01-28AE514640.590 ppm
2019-04-23Q19164340010.916 ppm
2020-01-13AE930160.480 ppm
2020-11-05AF333820.320 ppm
2021-03-09AF458820.110 ppm
2021-04-27AF513610.360 ppm
2022-03-01AF867550.250 ppm
2022-03-01AF867560.280 ppm
2023-02-22AG298340.640 ppm
2023-02-22AG298430.680 ppm
2023-07-17AG486200.0600 ppm
2023-10-09AG587581.22 ppm