Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Harris County Municipal Utility District 96

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.

 

6

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

6

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.210 ppm110.210 ppm
20190.170 ppm110.170 ppm
20200.250 ppm110.250 ppm
20210.180 ppm110.180 ppm
20220.190 ppm110.190 ppm
20230.460 ppm110.460 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
2018-02-02AE120620.210 ppm
2019-05-21AE672790.170 ppm
2020-02-27AF002800.250 ppm
2021-02-08AF428480.180 ppm
2022-02-16AF851300.190 ppm
2023-03-21AG336970.460 ppm