Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Montgomery County Municipal Utility District 8

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.

 

19

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0233 ppm330.0200 ppm - 0.0300 ppm
2019ND30ND
20200.0250 ppm42ND - 0.0500 ppm
2021ND30ND
20220.0367 ppm32ND - 0.0600 ppm
20230.0333 ppm31ND - 0.1000 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
2018-01-10AE085160.0200 ppm
2018-01-10AE085180.0200 ppm
2018-01-10AE085150.0300 ppm
2019-08-06AE77126ND
2019-08-06AE77128ND
2019-08-06AE77129ND
2020-10-19AF310330.0500 ppm
2020-10-19AF31032ND
2020-10-19AF310010.0500 ppm
2020-10-19AF30993ND
2021-02-08AF42844ND
2021-02-08AF42851ND
2021-02-08AF42853ND
2022-08-23AG103840.0600 ppm
2022-08-23AG103860.0500 ppm
2022-12-13AG21577ND
2023-07-05AG46927ND
2023-07-05AG469440.1000 ppm
2023-07-05AG46945ND