Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Harris County MUD 400 - East

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

13

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.154 ppm4434ND - 0.780 ppm
20190.485 ppm220.200 ppm - 0.770 ppm
20200.435 ppm440.0800 ppm - 1.17 ppm
20210.410 ppm440.0900 ppm - 0.700 ppm
20220.363 ppm440.0900 ppm - 0.890 ppm
20230.298 ppm440.0700 ppm - 0.640 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
2019-09-25AE845050.200 ppm
2019-11-07AE888120.770 ppm
2020-02-13AE982871.17 ppm
2020-04-29AF086010.390 ppm
2020-09-03AF263540.1000 ppm
2020-11-09AF336530.0800 ppm
2021-02-01AF417530.700 ppm
2021-06-10AF573170.370 ppm
2021-08-11AF657920.0900 ppm
2021-11-01AF751630.480 ppm
2022-02-07AF830480.890 ppm
2022-04-25AF941340.320 ppm
2022-08-23AG103980.0900 ppm
2022-11-21AG192860.150 ppm
2023-03-23AG340320.640 ppm
2023-04-17AG368290.300 ppm
2023-07-25AG499170.0700 ppm
2023-10-30AG614080.180 ppm