Nitrate
Buckeye Water District - Ohio River
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.
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 | 0.791 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.580 ppm - 1.09 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.826 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.590 ppm - 1.04 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.845 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.730 ppm - 1.06 ppm |
| 2017 | 0.862 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.500 ppm - 1.09 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.795 ppm | 11 | 11 | 0.610 ppm - 0.960 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.783 ppm | 10 | 10 | 0.670 ppm - 0.950 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 | Lab ID | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-08 | 14-10237-02 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2014-02-05 | 14-11398-05 | 1.09 ppm |
| 2014-03-05 | 14-12556-03 | 0.980 ppm |
| 2014-04-09 | 14-14297-03A | 0.790 ppm |
| 2014-05-07 | 14-15482-05 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2014-06-04 | 14-16938-02 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2014-07-09 | 14-18953-01 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-08-06 | 14-20274-05 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2014-09-10 | 14-22423-03 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2014-10-08 | 14-23882-01 | 0.950 ppm |
| 2014-11-05 | 14-25196-05 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-12-03 | 14-26421-03 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2015-01-07 | 15-10189-03 | 0.890 ppm |
| 2015-02-04 | 15-11338-05 | 0.920 ppm |
| 2015-03-11 | 15-12959-03 | 1.04 ppm |
| 2015-04-15 | 15-14706-01 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2015-05-06 | 15-15712-05 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2015-06-10 | 15-17794-03 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2015-07-08 | 15-19292-03 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2015-08-05 | 15-20923-05 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2015-09-23 | 15-23944-01 | 0.960 ppm |
| 2015-10-14 | 15-25134-02 | 0.950 ppm |
| 2015-11-04 | 15-26241-07 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2015-12-09 | 15-28014-03 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2016-01-13 | 16-10635-01 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2016-02-03 | 16-11578-07 | 0.990 ppm |
| 2016-03-09 | 16-13455-01 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2016-04-06 | 16-14820-01 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2016-05-04 | 16-16386-08 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2016-06-08 | 16-18414-01 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2016-07-13 | 16-20752-01 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2016-08-03 | 16-22202-03 | 0.890 ppm |
| 2016-09-14 | 16-25275-03 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2016-10-05 | 16-26784-01 | 1.06 ppm |
| 2016-11-02 | 16-28538-01 | 0.920 ppm |
| 2016-12-07 | 16-30498-01 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2017-01-11 | 17-10642-03 | 1.09 ppm |
| 2017-02-01 | 17-11745-07 | 0.910 ppm |
| 2017-03-08 | 17-14076-03 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2017-04-05 | 17-15808-01 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2017-05-03 | 17-17657-01 | 0.500 ppm |
| 2017-06-14 | 17-20592-03 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2017-07-12 | 17-22629-01 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2017-08-09 | 17-24950-01 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2017-09-06 | 17-26998-01 | 0.860 ppm |
| 2017-10-11 | 17-29676-01 | 1.03 ppm |
| 2017-11-01 | 17-31116-03 | 1.07 ppm |
| 2017-12-06 | 17-33288-02 | 0.860 ppm |
| 2018-01-03 | 18-10204-03 | 0.860 ppm |
| 2018-02-14 | 18-12740-05 | 0.960 ppm |
| 2018-03-07 | 18-14112-01 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2018-04-04 | 18-15987-02 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2018-06-06 | 18-20916-01 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2018-07-11 | 18-24128-01 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2018-08-01 | 18-25969-05 | 0.940 ppm |
| 2018-09-05 | 18-29036-01 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2018-10-03 | 18-31582-01 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2018-11-07 | 18-34360-05 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2018-12-05 | 18-36330-01 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2019-01-02 | 19-10088-04 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2019-02-06 | 19-12459-05 | 0.950 ppm |
| 2019-03-06 | 19-14369-01 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2019-04-10 | 19-17146-01 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2019-05-01 | M19-18573-05 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2019-06-12 | 19-22127-01 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2019-07-03 | 19-24107-01 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2019-08-07 | 19-27015-05 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2019-09-04 | 19-29557-01 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2019-10-02 | 19-32081-01 | 0.820 ppm |