Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Harris County Municipal Utility District 196

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.

 

21

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

21

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.671 ppm990.200 ppm - 1.02 ppm
20190.607 ppm330.510 ppm - 0.740 ppm
20200.800 ppm330.620 ppm - 1.13 ppm
20210.365 ppm220.150 ppm - 0.580 ppm
20220.285 ppm220.280 ppm - 0.290 ppm
20230.655 ppm220.650 ppm - 0.660 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
2018-02-22AE149260.620 ppm
2018-02-22AE149200.920 ppm
2018-04-17AE226560.930 ppm
2018-04-17AE226720.550 ppm
2018-04-17AE226750.870 ppm
2018-09-13AE399050.200 ppm
2018-09-13AE399060.370 ppm
2018-12-13AE487550.560 ppm
2018-12-13AE487561.02 ppm
2019-02-19AE547770.510 ppm
2019-02-19AE547780.570 ppm
2019-02-19AE547750.740 ppm
2020-02-06AE971991.13 ppm
2020-04-29AF085920.650 ppm
2020-04-29AF085930.620 ppm
2021-02-05AF428730.580 ppm
2021-07-19AF622840.150 ppm
2022-03-15AF890080.290 ppm
2022-03-15AF890110.280 ppm
2023-02-23AG301230.660 ppm
2023-02-23AG301240.650 ppm