Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

City of Abbott

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
20180.0540 ppm220.0527 ppm - 0.0552 ppm
20190.0582 ppm220.0555 ppm - 0.0609 ppm
20200.0454 ppm220.0421 ppm - 0.0487 ppm
20210.0600 ppm220.0600 ppm
20220.0138 ppm21ND - 0.0276 ppm
20230.0672 ppm220.0665 ppm - 0.0678 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
2018-03-12Q18099470050.0552 ppm
2018-03-12Q18099470140.0527 ppm
2019-07-15Q19446950050.0555 ppm
2019-07-15Q19446950110.0609 ppm
2020-10-14Q20403040060.0487 ppm
2020-10-14Q20403040070.0421 ppm
2021-12-09Q21346370090.0600 ppm
2021-12-09Q21346370150.0600 ppm
2022-10-18Q2231549009ND
2022-10-18Q22315490100.0276 ppm
2023-04-27Q23158960060.0665 ppm
2023-04-27Q23158960070.0678 ppm