Nitrate

Salt Lake City Water System

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.

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115

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

110

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Detections	Range of results
2013	N/A	0	0	N/A
2014	1.96 ppm	14	14	0.300 ppm - 4.90 ppm
2015	0.981 ppm	16	15	ND - 2.00 ppm
2016	1.76 ppm	25	24	ND - 5.50 ppm
2017	1.55 ppm	23	23	0.0984 ppm - 4.63 ppm
2018	2.06 ppm	16	16	1.08 ppm - 5.27 ppm
2019	1.45 ppm	21	20	ND - 4.52 ppm

ppm = parts per million

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.14 ppm

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.14 ppm for nitrate was defined by EWG . This health guideline protects against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.

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	Result
2014-01-10	0.300 ppm
2014-05-23	1.10 ppm
2014-05-30	1.30 ppm
2014-05-30	1.90 ppm
2014-06-03	1.30 ppm
2014-06-11	4.90 ppm
2014-06-25	1.000 ppm
2014-06-25	0.900 ppm
2014-07-01	0.900 ppm
2014-07-01	4.20 ppm
2014-07-02	1.30 ppm
2014-07-09	1.000 ppm
2014-07-09	4.90 ppm
2014-07-09	2.40 ppm
2015-01-23	0.1000 ppm
2015-01-23	ND
2015-01-30	0.200 ppm
2015-01-30	1.10 ppm
2015-02-27	1.20 ppm
2015-05-01	0.500 ppm
2015-05-08	2.00 ppm
2015-05-15	1.10 ppm
2015-06-19	0.900 ppm
2015-06-19	1.000 ppm
2015-06-19	1.40 ppm
2015-06-19	0.900 ppm
2015-07-10	0.900 ppm
2015-07-10	1.60 ppm
2015-07-10	1.40 ppm
2015-07-17	1.40 ppm
2016-01-08	0.200 ppm
2016-01-08	0.200 ppm
2016-01-15	1.10 ppm
2016-02-12	ND
2016-02-26	0.200 ppm
2016-03-25	0.600 ppm
2016-05-19	2.10 ppm
2016-05-19	1.000 ppm
2016-06-03	1.10 ppm
2016-06-03	1.10 ppm
2016-06-10	1.40 ppm
2016-06-10	1.50 ppm
2016-06-10	4.10 ppm
2016-06-24	1.20 ppm
2016-06-24	4.40 ppm
2016-06-24	2.50 ppm
2016-06-28	5.00 ppm
2016-06-28	1.000 ppm
2016-07-08	1.60 ppm
2016-07-08	2.70 ppm
2016-07-13	1.000 ppm
2016-07-29	1.30 ppm
2016-07-29	5.50 ppm
2016-07-29	1.20 ppm
2016-09-08	1.90 ppm
2017-01-13	0.189 ppm
2017-01-13	0.0984 ppm
2017-01-20	0.339 ppm
2017-01-20	1.23 ppm
2017-03-03	0.607 ppm
2017-03-24	0.209 ppm
2017-06-09	1.50 ppm
2017-06-09	3.86 ppm
2017-06-16	1.47 ppm
2017-06-16	1.67 ppm
2017-06-16	2.08 ppm
2017-06-20	1.35 ppm
2017-06-23	4.63 ppm
2017-06-30	2.32 ppm
2017-06-30	1.05 ppm
2017-07-14	4.63 ppm
2017-07-14	1.67 ppm
2017-07-21	1.33 ppm
2017-07-21	1.16 ppm
2017-08-03	1.26 ppm
2017-08-08	1.12 ppm
2017-08-08	0.933 ppm
2017-08-22	0.906 ppm
2018-05-25	1.97 ppm
2018-05-25	1.16 ppm
2018-06-01	1.26 ppm
2018-06-01	1.46 ppm
2018-06-05	3.91 ppm
2018-06-12	4.34 ppm
2018-06-13	1.35 ppm
2018-06-14	1.08 ppm
2018-06-15	2.94 ppm
2018-06-15	5.27 ppm
2018-06-20	1.43 ppm
2018-06-20	1.29 ppm
2018-06-26	1.52 ppm
2018-06-26	1.23 ppm
2018-06-29	1.26 ppm
2018-07-11	1.44 ppm
2019-01-11	0.188 ppm
2019-01-11	0.150 ppm
2019-02-01	ND
2019-04-26	1.12 ppm
2019-05-03	0.746 ppm
2019-05-31	0.302 ppm
2019-06-19	3.45 ppm
2019-06-19	1.29 ppm
2019-06-21	1.37 ppm
2019-06-25	1.36 ppm
2019-06-26	1.29 ppm
2019-06-27	1.06 ppm
2019-07-03	0.908 ppm
2019-07-03	0.894 ppm
2019-07-23	2.20 ppm
2019-07-23	1.22 ppm
2019-07-23	4.22 ppm
2019-07-23	4.52 ppm
2019-08-07	1.97 ppm
2019-08-16	1.10 ppm
2019-08-16	1.17 ppm