Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Gum Springs Water Supply Corporation 1

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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0425 ppm220.0422 ppm - 0.0428 ppm
20190.0473 ppm220.0452 ppm - 0.0494 ppm
20200.0363 ppm220.0362 ppm - 0.0364 ppm
20210.0581 ppm220.0572 ppm - 0.0590 ppm
20220.0592 ppm220.0575 ppm - 0.0609 ppm
20230.0568 ppm220.0546 ppm - 0.0590 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
2018-02-27Q18083810030.0422 ppm
2018-02-27Q18083810050.0428 ppm
2019-07-11Q19440450070.0494 ppm
2019-07-11Q19440450080.0452 ppm
2020-01-09Q20009580100.0362 ppm
2020-01-09Q20009580170.0364 ppm
2021-03-03Q21056070060.0572 ppm
2021-03-03Q21056070070.0590 ppm
2022-06-08Q22160680010.0575 ppm
2022-06-08Q22160680030.0609 ppm
2023-07-12Q23273830040.0546 ppm
2023-07-12Q23273830100.0590 ppm