Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Trinity Rural Water Supply Corporation 1

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.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

24

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20183.75 ppm440.414 ppm - 8.54 ppm
20193.24 ppm440.419 ppm - 6.58 ppm
20201.97 ppm440.599 ppm - 5.05 ppm
20212.14 ppm440.918 ppm - 3.84 ppm
20222.29 ppm440.628 ppm - 4.92 ppm
20233.38 ppm441.90 ppm - 5.36 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
2018-02-14Q18065410055.03 ppm
2018-05-15Q18200390010.997 ppm
2018-08-21Q18333890018.54 ppm
2018-11-16Q18470780020.414 ppm
2019-03-14Q19108470022.18 ppm
2019-06-27Q19409730030.419 ppm
2019-09-30Q19698220013.79 ppm
2019-12-09Q19792590016.58 ppm
2020-03-25Q20126740010.832 ppm
2020-06-18Q20247850011.41 ppm
2020-09-09Q20361270010.599 ppm
2020-11-03Q20425840075.05 ppm
2021-02-11Q21041950061.46 ppm
2021-04-14Q21096670012.34 ppm
2021-07-19Q21188410010.918 ppm
2021-12-17Q21359070013.84 ppm
2022-03-02Q22071940061.98 ppm
2022-05-04Q22134360014.92 ppm
2022-08-03Q22222340010.628 ppm
2022-11-07Q22335100011.65 ppm
2023-02-08Q23049610011.90 ppm
2023-06-12Q23221090013.46 ppm
2023-09-07Q23386130012.78 ppm
2023-12-12Q23529510015.36 ppm