Overview

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.

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

National Standard Exists

Health Concerns:

Cancer
Harm to fetal growth and child development

Want to remove
Nitrate from your water?

Try these filter technologies:

Reverse Osmosis,

Ion Exchange,

understand filter technology

Nitrate around the Country

	UTILITIES REPORTING ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES		UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION
State	Utilities	People Served	Utilities	People Served
California		1,717	52,699,382		2,100	59,491,982
Texas		1,438	16,348,648		3,767	29,010,714
Florida		553	5,221,936		1,143	18,829,862
New York		1,173	5,323,397		1,824	18,704,324
Pennsylvania		1,075	8,934,125		1,265	9,692,271
Ohio		563	7,899,135		874	9,333,100
Illinois		650	6,971,553		1,136	8,432,852
New Jersey		260	5,420,982		356	7,051,496
Washington		1,198	4,268,053		1,526	6,958,078
Tennessee		265	5,355,032		322	6,763,490
Arizona		629	6,487,211		723	6,725,757
Massachusetts		284	2,787,537		473	6,347,507
Colorado		419	1,245,696		754	5,677,607
Michigan		457	5,060,983		666	5,650,340
Alabama		182	2,693,090		425	5,643,546
Maryland		170	4,243,535		187	4,305,821
Indiana		275	3,245,761		374	4,006,941
Utah		333	3,196,533		437	3,456,354
Virginia		97	1,846,025		148	3,444,131
Minnesota		336	2,370,901		515	3,435,104
Kentucky		161	2,691,298		234	3,388,042
South Carolina		230	882,829		405	3,367,368
Wisconsin		453	2,514,160		695	3,227,536
Oregon		441	860,055		718	3,159,021
Nevada		133	2,662,239		164	3,058,789
Missouri		67	2,554,390		96	2,687,860
Connecticut		302	1,576,213		460	2,686,486
Iowa		494	2,058,624		813	2,536,335
Kansas		533	1,892,113		588	2,236,918
West Virginia		211	1,111,419		358	1,461,431
Hawaii		77	1,378,665		90	1,458,911
Idaho		460	1,288,890		600	1,371,578
North Carolina		696	667,994		805	1,370,624
Oklahoma		64	319,955		87	1,211,689
Rhode Island		52	420,512		80	1,017,269
Mississippi		111	360,030		223	930,645
District Of Columbia		5	882,325		5	882,325
Delaware		112	771,103		118	777,580
Arkansas		109	457,152		151	634,917
Vermont		132	94,681		316	473,457
Georgia		21	306,982		48	442,210
South Dakota		21	321,859		64	369,114
Alaska		24	243,819		33	288,389
Maine		142	123,271		233	228,923
Montana		65	105,423		147	216,131
Wyoming		33	125,665		48	166,275
North Dakota		22	34,685		34	119,562
Louisiana		12	49,336		13	52,195
Nebraska		3	26,046		3	26,046

SHOW LESS

Utilities with the highest amounts of nitrate, 2021-2023

ALL UTILITIES

LARGE UTILITIES

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
River Rd. Ws #25	Gonzales, CA	2 of 2	40.0 ppm	65
Eola Water Supply Corporation	Eola, TX	12 of 12	33.6 ppm	165
Apple Ave. Ws #03	Greenfield, CA	12 of 12	33.4 ppm	60
Lake Morena Views Mw Company	Campo, CA	110 of 110	27.7 ppm	360
Rodriguez Labor Camp	Delano, CA	12 of 12	27.1 ppm	115
Teen Challenge	Spokane, WA	1 of 1	27.0 ppm	61
Papago Butte Domestic Water Improvement District	Maricopa, AZ	14 of 14	25.8 ppm	450
Whitharral Water Supply Corporation	Whitharral, TX	12 of 12	24.4 ppm	200
Son Shine Properties	Edison, CA	12 of 12	21.8 ppm	438
Wilson Road Water Community	Bakersfield, CA	13 of 13	20.8 ppm	66
Coxville Water Association #1	Benton City, WA	12 of 12	20.4 ppm	26
Lemon Cove Water Company	Lemon Cove, CA	12 of 12	18.4 ppm	109
Villa Grande Domestic Water Improvement District	Eloy, AZ	15 of 15	17.0 ppm	273
Turkey Municipal Water System*	Turkey, TX	12 of 12	16.9 ppm	421
Ford, City of	Ford, KS	26 of 26	16.7 ppm	204
Rra Hinds Wildcat Water System	Wichita Falls, TX	12 of 12	16.5 ppm	228
Canyon Dam Mobile Home Park	Odessa, TX	12 of 12	16.4 ppm	108
Northside Water Supply Corporation	Vernon, TX	12 of 12	16.3 ppm	200
Greenwood Terrace Mobile Home Subdivision	Bent, TX	12 of 12	16.0 ppm	120
Jefferson County Rural Water District 15	Grantville, KS	1 of 1	16.0 ppm	228
Margies Mobile Home Park	Midland, TX	5 of 5	15.6 ppm	60
Grassland Water Supply Corporation	Tahoka, TX	12 of 12	15.1 ppm	55
Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park Midland	Savoy, TX	12 of 12	14.7 ppm	234
Indian Oaks Trailer Park	Temecula, CA	41 of 41	14.7 ppm	40
Okarche Rural Water District Inc.	Okarche, OK	1 of 1	14.6 ppm	250
Bernhard Trailer Park	Fredericksburg, TX	12 of 12	14.3 ppm	60
Bonfire Village Hotel	Sacramento, CA	9 of 9	13.8 ppm	30
Sierra Vista Association	Clovis, CA	14 of 14	13.8 ppm	44
San Joaquin Estates Mutual Water Company	Bakersfield, CA	14 of 14	13.8 ppm	165
White Horse Ranch Owners Association	Prescott, AZ	15 of 15	13.7 ppm	292
Country Village Mobile Home Estates	Midland, TX	25 of 25	13.6 ppm	138
Maricopa Mountain Domestic Water Improvement District 1*	Maricopa, AZ	15 of 15	13.4 ppm	450
American Realty Mortgage Company	Maricopa, AZ	15 of 15	13.4 ppm	60
City of Quitaque	Quitaque, TX	12 of 12	13.3 ppm	385
Meadow Lark Court Llc	Ammon, ID	24 of 24	13.2 ppm	45
Valenzuela Water System	Hollister, CA	189 of 190	13.2 ppm	55
Mccoy Rd. Ws #05	Salinas, CA	13 of 13	13.1 ppm	72
La Verne WD	La Verne, CA	340 of 340	13.1 ppm	32,206
Chipper Point Apartments	Lubbock, TX	12 of 12	12.9 ppm	29
Iuka, City of	Iuka, KS	12 of 12	12.5 ppm	155
Patton Springs Isd	Afton, TX	13 of 13	12.4 ppm	130
Franklin Water Systems 3	Des Peres, TX	38 of 38	12.4 ppm	159
Higuera Apartments	San Luis Obispo, CA	4 of 4	12.4 ppm	30
Hillcrest Mobile Estates	Los Angeles, CA	29 of 30	12.3 ppm	493
Welch Water Supply Corporation	Welch, TX	12 of 12	12.2 ppm	315
Quiet Oaks Mobile Home Park	Stockton, CA	26 of 26	12.0 ppm	120
Huber Garden Estates	Odessa, TX	12 of 12	11.8 ppm	200
Iverson & Jacks Apartments Ws	Salinas, CA	5 of 5	11.7 ppm	86
South Midland County Water Systems	Barker, TX	1 of 1	11.7 ppm	165
Montezuma Municipal Utility	Montezuma, IN	11 of 11	11.7 ppm	1,022

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Nitrate, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
La Verne WD	La Verne, CA	340 of 340	13.1 ppm	32,206
Morro Bay PW Department - Water Division	Morro Bay, CA	616 of 660	10.0 ppm	10,581
Lamont Public Utility District	Lamont, CA	328 of 328	9.05 ppm	19,057
Waverly Water Department	Waverly, IA	96 of 96	8.22 ppm	10,394
City of Burkburnett	Burkburnett, TX	24 of 24	7.82 ppm	10,978
Cedar Falls Municipal Water Utilities	Cedar Falls, IA	92 of 96	7.53 ppm	40,713
City of Wasco	Wasco, CA	94 of 94	7.49 ppm	22,608
City of Vernon*	Vernon, TX	13 of 13	7.37 ppm	10,078
San Fernando Water Department	San Fernando, CA	277 of 277	7.20 ppm	23,946
Bakman Water Company	Fresno, CA	109 of 110	7.02 ppm	17,393
Hastings	Hastings, MN	51 of 51	6.97 ppm	23,222
South Mesa Water Company*	Calimesa, CA	92 of 92	6.90 ppm	10,061
Plover Waterworks	Plover, WI	24 of 24	6.70 ppm	12,420
City of Atwater	Atwater, CA	130 of 130	6.70 ppm	29,479
Rubidoux Community SD*	Jurupa Valley, CA	352 of 352	6.65 ppm	36,827
Crescenta Valley CWD	La Crescenta, CA	358 of 359	6.34 ppm	32,665
Newhall CWD-Newhall*	Santa Clarita, CA	17 of 17	6.25 ppm	17,154
East Hempfield Water Authority	Landisville, PA	72 of 72	6.22 ppm	20,988
City of Ceres*	Ceres, CA	344 of 345	6.18 ppm	48,706
Valley Water Company*	La Canada Flintridge, CA	159 of 164	6.17 ppm	10,070
City of Newman Water Department	Newman, CA	47 of 47	6.06 ppm	12,351
Goodyear Water Department	Goodyear, AZ	64 of 64	6.05 ppm	50,001
Global Water - Santa Cruz Water Company*	Phoenix, AZ	54 of 54	6.03 ppm	17,005
City of Haysville	Haysville, KS	4 of 4	6.03 ppm	11,315
City of Los Banos	Los Banos, CA	117 of 117	5.97 ppm	46,639
City of Lindsay	Lindsay, CA	24 of 27	5.96 ppm	12,659
City of Dinuba	Dinuba, CA	106 of 106	5.94 ppm	26,913
City of Exeter	Exeter, CA	67 of 67	5.94 ppm	11,169
Los Angeles CWWD 40, R24, 27,33-Pearblsm*	Alhambra, CA	112 of 112	5.93 ppm	11,183
Waterloo Water Works*	Waterloo, IA	82 of 84	5.88 ppm	69,504
Epcor - San Tan	San Tan Valley, AZ	57 of 57	5.81 ppm	87,435
Janesville Water Utility	Janesville, WI	28 of 28	5.77 ppm	62,720
Jurupa Community Services District*	Jurupa Valley, CA	496 of 497	5.70 ppm	133,292
Liberty Water Lpsco*	Litchfield Park, AZ	22 of 22	5.69 ppm	50,770
Arizona Water Company - Pinal Valley*	Phoenix, AZ	50 of 50	5.65 ppm	113,516
Chippewa Falls Waterworks	Chippewa Falls, WI	19 of 19	5.62 ppm	13,375
City of Gilroy	Gilroy, CA	111 of 111	5.55 ppm	58,108
City of Riverside*	Riverside, CA	47 of 47	5.54 ppm	300,488
City of Corona*	Corona, CA	2003 of 2,153	5.54 ppm	168,751
Golden State Water Company (GSWC) - Norwalk	Santa Fe Springs, CA	42 of 43	5.53 ppm	42,997
City of Vienna*	Vienna, WV	22 of 22	5.52 ppm	12,507
City of McFarland	Mcfarland, CA	19 of 19	5.51 ppm	15,506
Lca Wlsa Central Division*	Allentown, PA	133 of 134	5.45 ppm	47,693
City of Modesto, Salida	Modesto, CA	32 of 32	5.45 ppm	14,537
California Water Service (CWS) - Los Altos Suburban	San Jose, CA	224 of 224	5.43 ppm	70,175
Cherokee MD*	Colorado Springs, CO	24 of 27	5.39 ppm	23,000
East Valley Water District	Highland, CA	511 of 532	5.34 ppm	103,758
City of Sweetwater*	Sweetwater, TX	12 of 12	5.31 ppm	11,198
Lincoln-pipestone Rural Water System*	Lake Benton, MN	31 of 31	5.28 ppm	13,644
City of Dodge City	Dodge City, KS	65 of 65	5.27 ppm	27,104

EWG’s Tap
Water Database

Nitrate in
Tap Water

CONTAMINANT

Nitrate

STATES DETECTED

49

serves

263 million

utilities detected

26,644

states detected

49

serves

178 million

utilities detected

17,260

STATES DETECTED

16

serves

72,362

utilities detected

105

Overview

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

National Standard Exists

Health Concerns:

Want to remove
Nitrate from your water?

Nitrate around the Country

Utilities with the highest amounts of nitrate, 2021-2023

Know the Standards

Take Action

Need help finding a filter?

We’re in this together

Protect your water

EWG’s TapWater Database

CONTAMINANT

Nitrate

STATES DETECTED

49

serves

263 million

utilities detected

26,644

states detected

49

serves

178 million

utilities detected

17,260

STATES DETECTED

16

serves

72,362

utilities detected

105

Overview

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

National Standard Exists

Health Concerns:

Want to removeNitrate from your water?

Nitrate around the Country

Utilities with the highest amounts of nitrate, 2021-2023

Know the Standards

Take Action

Need help finding a filter?

We’re in this together

Protect your water

EWG’s Tap
Water Database

Want to remove
Nitrate from your water?