Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate

Mountain Regional Water Special Service 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.

 

107

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

83

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.315 ppm1611ND - 0.773 ppm
20190.483 ppm1413ND - 0.953 ppm
20200.512 ppm1816ND - 1.10 ppm
20210.412 ppm2220ND - 1.07 ppm
20220.352 ppm2015ND - 1.20 ppm
20231.01 ppm1714ND - 7.41 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 Result
2018-03-200.756 ppm
2018-03-200.687 ppm
2018-03-200.773 ppm
2018-03-200.760 ppm
2018-06-060.430 ppm
2018-06-200.255 ppm
2018-06-200.227 ppm
2018-08-23ND
2018-09-05ND
2018-09-05ND
2018-09-050.187 ppm
2018-09-050.530 ppm
2018-09-05ND
2018-09-050.302 ppm
2018-09-050.142 ppm
2018-09-05ND
2019-01-030.438 ppm
2019-01-030.691 ppm
2019-01-030.953 ppm
2019-01-030.295 ppm
2019-01-240.757 ppm
2019-01-240.774 ppm
2019-01-240.179 ppm
2019-02-250.591 ppm
2019-02-250.457 ppm
2019-02-250.229 ppm
2019-02-250.139 ppm
2019-03-200.763 ppm
2019-11-070.494 ppm
2019-11-14ND
2020-02-271.000 ppm
2020-03-240.454 ppm
2020-07-13ND
2020-07-141.03 ppm
2020-09-15ND
2020-09-150.900 ppm
2020-09-151.10 ppm
2020-09-150.700 ppm
2020-09-150.500 ppm
2020-09-150.400 ppm
2020-09-150.200 ppm
2020-09-150.300 ppm
2020-09-150.400 ppm
2020-09-160.400 ppm
2020-09-160.800 ppm
2020-09-160.200 ppm
2020-09-160.700 ppm
2020-09-210.126 ppm
2021-03-160.800 ppm
2021-03-160.431 ppm
2021-06-030.467 ppm
2021-06-030.815 ppm
2021-06-030.113 ppm
2021-06-030.205 ppm
2021-06-030.301 ppm
2021-06-030.675 ppm
2021-06-08ND
2021-08-040.364 ppm
2021-09-070.750 ppm
2021-09-070.192 ppm
2021-09-070.200 ppm
2021-09-08ND
2021-09-081.07 ppm
2021-09-080.709 ppm
2021-09-080.705 ppm
2021-09-080.124 ppm
2021-09-080.171 ppm
2021-09-080.300 ppm
2021-12-080.260 ppm
2021-12-080.403 ppm
2022-02-17ND
2022-02-17ND
2022-02-17ND
2022-02-171.03 ppm
2022-02-170.519 ppm
2022-05-040.181 ppm
2022-05-050.796 ppm
2022-05-050.173 ppm
2022-05-050.844 ppm
2022-08-040.500 ppm
2022-08-040.331 ppm
2022-08-040.200 ppm
2022-08-040.200 ppm
2022-08-040.200 ppm
2022-08-04ND
2022-09-070.187 ppm
2022-09-22ND
2022-12-060.104 ppm
2022-12-061.20 ppm
2022-12-070.587 ppm
2023-09-070.130 ppm
2023-11-061.23 ppm
2023-11-061.41 ppm
2023-11-067.41 ppm
2023-11-061.60 ppm
2023-11-060.238 ppm
2023-11-060.233 ppm
2023-12-110.409 ppm
2023-12-11ND
2023-12-111.03 ppm
2023-12-110.983 ppm
2023-12-110.849 ppm
2023-12-110.481 ppm
2023-12-11ND
2023-12-110.986 ppm
2023-12-11ND
2023-12-110.220 ppm