Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

M E N Water Supply Corporation

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)

10

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.152 ppm220.120 ppm - 0.183 ppm
20190.520 ppm220.261 ppm - 0.779 ppm
20200.309 ppm220.215 ppm - 0.402 ppm
20210.235 ppm220.223 ppm - 0.247 ppm
20220.403 ppm220.207 ppm - 0.598 ppm
20230.185 ppm220.0598 ppm - 0.311 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
2018-07-19Q18287960010.183 ppm
2018-07-19Q18287960020.120 ppm
2019-02-07Q19058080010.261 ppm
2019-02-07Q19058080030.779 ppm
2020-10-20Q20410610010.402 ppm
2020-10-20Q20410610020.215 ppm
2021-07-14Q21184510010.247 ppm
2021-07-14Q21184510040.223 ppm
2022-03-15Q22088910010.207 ppm
2022-11-09Q22338740010.598 ppm
2023-07-31Q23308400010.0598 ppm
2023-07-31Q23308400020.311 ppm