Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Brookeland Fresh Water Supply 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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0270 ppm220.0124 ppm - 0.0416 ppm
20190.0268 ppm220.0181 ppm - 0.0355 ppm
20200.0179 ppm21ND - 0.0357 ppm
20210.0218 ppm220.0195 ppm - 0.0241 ppm
20220.0174 ppm220.01000 ppm - 0.0248 ppm
20230.0135 ppm220.0114 ppm - 0.0156 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
2018-12-10Q18503870010.0416 ppm
2018-12-10Q18503870100.0124 ppm
2019-07-10Q19437260020.0181 ppm
2019-07-10Q19437260050.0355 ppm
2020-04-07Q2014006007ND
2020-04-07Q20140060080.0357 ppm
2021-09-01Q21238300100.0195 ppm
2021-09-01Q21238300160.0241 ppm
2022-02-07Q22039730050.01000 ppm
2022-08-16Q22240050050.0248 ppm
2023-06-26Q23243010070.0114 ppm
2023-06-26Q23243010080.0156 ppm