Nitrate

Saratoga Springs City

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.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Detections	Range of results
2014	0.380 ppm	5	4	ND - 0.700 ppm
2015	0.340 ppm	5	4	ND - 0.700 ppm
2016	0.360 ppm	5	4	ND - 0.600 ppm
2017	0.396 ppm	5	4	ND - 0.706 ppm
2018	0.334 ppm	5	3	ND - 0.730 ppm
2019	0.345 ppm	5	3	ND - 0.714 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
2014-02-13	ND
2014-02-13	0.200 ppm
2014-02-13	0.600 ppm
2014-02-13	0.700 ppm
2014-02-13	0.400 ppm
2015-12-16	0.600 ppm
2015-12-16	0.700 ppm
2015-12-16	0.200 ppm
2015-12-16	0.200 ppm
2015-12-16	ND
2016-02-18	0.200 ppm
2016-02-18	0.600 ppm
2016-08-15	ND
2016-08-15	0.500 ppm
2016-08-15	0.500 ppm
2017-09-20	0.492 ppm
2017-09-20	0.613 ppm
2017-09-20	ND
2017-09-20	0.168 ppm
2017-09-20	0.706 ppm
2018-09-18	ND
2018-09-18	ND
2018-09-18	0.394 ppm
2018-09-18	0.546 ppm
2018-12-20	0.730 ppm
2019-01-28	0.628 ppm
2019-06-13	0.385 ppm
2019-09-27	ND
2019-11-26	ND
2019-11-26	0.714 ppm