Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Harris County Municipal Utility District 276

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.

 

29

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

28

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.396 ppm550.190 ppm - 0.560 ppm
20190.480 ppm550.140 ppm - 1.01 ppm
20200.575 ppm440.280 ppm - 0.900 ppm
20210.426 ppm550.230 ppm - 0.740 ppm
20220.312 ppm550.260 ppm - 0.460 ppm
20230.344 ppm550.190 ppm - 0.480 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
2018-02-07AE126180.460 ppm
2018-02-07AE126160.440 ppm
2018-05-14AE260410.330 ppm
2018-08-27AE384840.190 ppm
2018-11-29AE472800.560 ppm
2019-02-04AE525990.550 ppm
2019-02-04AE526160.540 ppm
2019-04-22AE630831.01 ppm
2019-08-08AE776390.140 ppm
2019-12-11AE920450.160 ppm
2020-01-29AE958370.540 ppm
2020-01-29AE958580.580 ppm
2020-04-08AF060780.900 ppm
2020-07-20AF198190.280 ppm
2021-01-21AF402140.510 ppm
2021-03-31AF486140.410 ppm
2021-06-07AF565650.740 ppm
2021-08-02AF641600.240 ppm
2021-11-08AF758970.230 ppm
2022-03-03AF873790.270 ppm
2022-03-03AF874090.280 ppm
2022-05-13AF968430.290 ppm
2022-08-01AG069450.260 ppm
2022-12-15AG218740.460 ppm
2023-02-09AG282630.480 ppm
2023-02-09AG282670.460 ppm
2023-04-26AG380990.330 ppm
2023-08-07AG514490.260 ppm
2023-10-16AG598150.190 ppm