Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Fort Hancock Water Control and Improvement District

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)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
20190.0202 ppm110.0202 ppm
20200.0927 ppm110.0927 ppm
20210.0591 ppm110.0591 ppm
20220.0692 ppm110.0692 ppm
20230.138 ppm110.138 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
2018-02-22Q1807648007ND
2019-01-29Q19041200010.0202 ppm
2020-06-09Q20236080040.0927 ppm
2021-01-12Q21008330080.0591 ppm
2022-02-02Q22045880040.0692 ppm
2023-05-15Q23182390040.138 ppm