Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Old Chisolm Estates

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.

 

14

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

7

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.216 ppm330.0275 ppm - 0.581 ppm
20190.179 ppm330.0485 ppm - 0.436 ppm
20200.179 ppm330.0179 ppm - 0.363 ppm
20210.0800 ppm110.0800 ppm
20221.35 ppm221.14 ppm - 1.55 ppm
20230.300 ppm220.0519 ppm - 0.549 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
2018-12-04Q18492460060.0275 ppm
2018-12-13Q18515440030.0386 ppm
2018-12-13Q18515440070.581 ppm
2019-06-06Q19327760010.0485 ppm
2019-06-06Q19327760060.436 ppm
2019-11-21Q19778130070.0527 ppm
2020-12-17Q20500370020.363 ppm
2020-12-17Q20500370050.0179 ppm
2020-12-17Q20500370060.155 ppm
2021-12-09Q21347430060.0800 ppm
2022-12-15Q22380630011.14 ppm
2022-12-15Q22380630021.55 ppm
2023-08-15Q23340560080.549 ppm
2023-08-15Q23340560090.0519 ppm