Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Lakeshore Water System

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)

1

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0596 ppm220.0484 ppm - 0.0708 ppm
20190.102 ppm220.0482 ppm - 0.155 ppm
20200.0446 ppm220.0426 ppm - 0.0466 ppm
20210.0591 ppm220.0500 ppm - 0.0682 ppm
20220.0598 ppm220.0515 ppm - 0.0680 ppm
20230.0564 ppm220.0536 ppm - 0.0592 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
2018-10-25Q18428570070.0708 ppm
2018-10-25Q18428570080.0484 ppm
2019-10-22Q19732130070.155 ppm
2019-10-22Q19732130080.0482 ppm
2020-11-30Q20473850070.0426 ppm
2020-11-30Q20473850080.0466 ppm
2021-07-20Q21189540060.0682 ppm
2021-12-06Q21336650080.0500 ppm
2022-10-05Q22300950070.0515 ppm
2022-10-05Q22300950080.0680 ppm
2023-05-03Q23167870070.0536 ppm
2023-05-03Q23167870080.0592 ppm