Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

West Wise 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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

1

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0731 ppm220.0442 ppm - 0.102 ppm
20190.107 ppm220.0287 ppm - 0.186 ppm
20200.0393 ppm220.0333 ppm - 0.0452 ppm
20210.0591 ppm220.0300 ppm - 0.0881 ppm
20220.0539 ppm220.0285 ppm - 0.0792 ppm
20230.0739 ppm220.0711 ppm - 0.0767 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
2018-02-28Q18082370050.102 ppm
2018-09-26Q18385010040.0442 ppm
2019-02-06Q19054700020.186 ppm
2019-08-13Q19541540030.0287 ppm
2020-09-14Q20362960040.0452 ppm
2020-09-14Q20362960060.0333 ppm
2021-08-11Q21213680050.0300 ppm
2021-12-14Q21352090010.0881 ppm
2022-06-07Q22158510010.0792 ppm
2022-09-08Q22268120010.0285 ppm
2023-02-14Q23057500010.0767 ppm
2023-02-14Q23057500040.0711 ppm