You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. Although private well owners are not required to meet these standards, they do serve as a reference for safe drinking water. This is the health-based goal at which no known or anticipated Drinking water generally accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the nitrates that people consume. Recommendations officially state the limit for nitrates at 10 mg/L. The 1990 EPA National Survey of Drinking Water Wells found that approximately 57 percent of the private wells tested contained detectable levels of nitrates. The Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974 set forth standards that demanded states guard water supplies to avoid contamination by dangerous levels of foreign bacteria, chemicals, and substances. This means the nitrate levels actually “increase” slightly. However, in areas where the drinking water is contaminated to a level of 50 ppm)—five times the MCL for nitrate nitrogen—drinking water may supply as much as half of a person’s total daily intake. Your well-water is nitrate-safe if the nitrate level is 10 ppm or less (also written as 10 milligrams per liter (10 mg/L)). 2018 Drinking Water Standards and Advisory Tables. Protecting Your Drinking Water. This document summarizes EPA's drinking water regulations and health advisories, as well as reference dose (RFD) and cancer risk values, for drinking water contaminants. Any volume over this level is considered unsafe and must be dealt with accordingly. This law requires EPA to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water which do or may cause health problems. What should I do? EPA updates the tables periodically. … The MCLG for nitrates has been set at 10 parts per million (ppm), and for nitrites at 1 ppm, because EPA I have more than 10 PPM of nitrate in drinking water. What if I use public water? Nitrate levels are commonly provided in lab reports in one of two ways, either as NO3-N or NO3. That’s because when you boil water, some of it evaporates, so you’re left with the same concentration of contaminants in a smaller amount of water. Here are Fact sheets on nitrate in drinking water. In the United States the EPA, under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), has set the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) for total nitrate/nitrite at 10.0 mg/L and for nitrite at 1.0 mg/L (measured as nitrogen, N). Nitrates can be found in drinking water supplies. Newborn babies can’t handle the nitrates, but adults are fine with it. Compare your well-water test result to the drinking water standard set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level is: 10 ppm (parts per million) or mg/L (milligrams per liter) nitrate-nitrogen or, if expressed as nitrate, 45 ppm. These figures also may be reported in ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to mg/l. set standards for nitrate levels in public drinking water systems. least once a year. Be sure you know which value is reported for your water sample. The only health issue in humans with levels of nitrate above 220 ppm in drinking water is blue baby syndrome. The results showed nitrate levels between 200-450 ppm. Their presence in groundwater is generally associated with septic systems, confined animal feeding operations, or fertilizer use. “A nitrate level of up to 3 ppm in Well water is generally believed to be naturally-occurring and safe for drinking”. These non-enforceable levels, based solely on possible health risks and exposure, are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals. These sources of nitrate contamination are more associated with rural settings, and are often subjects of drinking water source protection programs . 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