Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Bethany Special Utility 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.

 

35

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

8

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0583 ppm550.0469 ppm - 0.0864 ppm
20190.0667 ppm550.0357 ppm - 0.0908 ppm
20200.0959 ppm770.0595 ppm - 0.171 ppm
20210.115 ppm660.0549 ppm - 0.287 ppm
20220.205 ppm660.0614 ppm - 0.509 ppm
20230.239 ppm660.0581 ppm - 0.596 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
2018-03-06Q18091250110.0469 ppm
2018-03-06Q18091250120.0482 ppm
2018-03-06Q18091250190.0499 ppm
2018-03-06Q18091250200.0864 ppm
2018-03-06Q18091250100.0600 ppm
2019-02-07Q19057670040.0908 ppm
2019-02-07Q19057670050.0725 ppm
2019-02-07Q19057670100.0555 ppm
2019-02-07Q19057670110.0792 ppm
2019-12-10Q19795720050.0357 ppm
2020-05-20Q20201000030.123 ppm
2020-08-05Q20309020140.0595 ppm
2020-08-05Q20309020150.0595 ppm
2020-08-05Q20309020160.171 ppm
2020-08-05Q20309020260.117 ppm
2020-10-14Q20403670100.0719 ppm
2020-10-14Q20403670110.0694 ppm
2021-06-24Q21165910050.287 ppm
2021-06-24Q21165910110.137 ppm
2021-06-24Q21165910100.0549 ppm
2021-06-24Q21165910090.0811 ppm
2021-06-24Q21165910080.0562 ppm
2021-08-26Q21233640010.0748 ppm
2022-05-16Q22144550010.185 ppm
2022-09-15Q22277310010.338 ppm
2022-10-19Q22318230150.0680 ppm
2022-10-19Q22318230160.0614 ppm
2022-10-19Q22318230170.0715 ppm
2022-10-19Q22318230180.509 ppm
2023-06-19Q23230920010.318 ppm
2023-09-07Q23385660010.344 ppm
2023-11-06Q23474500140.0581 ppm
2023-11-06Q23474500150.596 ppm
2023-11-06Q23474500160.0590 ppm
2023-11-06Q23474500170.0603 ppm