Farmers in the region contended with devastating droughts last year which caused corn crops to struggle in the sun drenched, hard arid soil. Since the crops did not develop like usual, they therefore did not soak up as much of the nitrates (from fertilizer) as they normally would and the excess sat on the ground until record-breaking and near record-breaking periods of rainfall this Spring.

Now everyone in the region has their eye on nitrate levels in the major rivers which, if allowed to get too high, could cause a whole lot of drinking water contamination problems for around 45% of Iowa residents… because many municipalities in Iowa draw their drinking water from bodies of surface water.

As an example of how elevated nitrate levels have already started to affect people besides farmers, one municipality has recently re-activated a very expensive nitrate removal system that costs an estimated $7,000 per day to operate. That extra $7k a day in expenses naturally will get passed on to customers and cause a spike in their water bills.

Why do corn fields contain so many nitrates?

According to what we have read, growing corn properly requires the use of more nitrogen rich fertilizer than a lot of other crops. Therefore, if a growing season’s corn crop does not consume all of the nutrients farmers put down, it sits in the soil waiting for next year’s planting season or a good, heavy rain to wash it away.

Nitrates a danger to humans?

In the past we wrote about a condition known as Blue Baby Syndrome which you can read about in an article called Testing for Nitrates Drinking Water. For those not interested in reading the article, we will sum up the takeaway points for you:

• Experts believe nitrates may hinder the ability of a baby’s body to properly carry oxygen in the bloodstream. By baby we mean an infant up to roughly six months of age.
   
• Health officials warn pregnant women not to consume water containing nitrate levels 10 mg/L (ppm) or higher.
   
• Medical professionals warn parents and caregivers against preparing formula bottles using water that contains nitrate levels 10 mg/L (ppm) or higher.

Now that you know nitrates in drinking water can cause health problems and that the US Environmental Protection Agency has set the MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) for nitrates in drinking water at 10 mg/L (ppm), you may find yourself asking, “How can I test for nitrates in my water?”

Testing for nitrates in drinking water

In agricultural areas and after regional flooding we have seen a number of cases where local health departments have offered free or reduced rate nitrate testing as well as testing for other critical water quality parameters like coliform bacteria. We suggest contacting your local health department to see if they have any discounted water testing programs available.

If no such programs exist in your area, you can always perform nitrate testing on your own using products like the WaterWorks Nitrate & Nitrite Test Strips which provide fast, accurate on-the-spot water test results… and don’t cost a small fortune.

On the complete opposite end of the expense spectrum you could have your water tested by a certified water testing lab by mail. National Testing Laboratories offers a well water testing package called Well-Check that includes tests for bacteria (total coliform and e-coli), 19 heavy metals and minerals (including lead, arsenic and mercury), 6 inorganic chemicals (including nitrates and fluoride) and 5 physical factors (including pH and hardness). Test results typically get emailed to customers within 10 to 14 days.

Removing or reducing nitrates in drinking water?

Should you have the misfortune of finding out you have elevated levels of nitrates in your drinking water you will more than likely want to reduce those levels. For that you will need a water filtration system. While selecting a water filter make certain you read through the list of contaminants that each filter takes out because not all drinking water filters currently on the market will remove nitrates.

Below you will find several models of water filters that WILL help reduce nitrate levels in well water, tap water, city water, surface water, etc. The models below range from a simple disposable counter top model for nitrate removal all the way up to a whole house filter for nitrate removal.

ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment will offer a free nitrate water-testing clinic from 4 to 7 p.m. June 5 at the Scandia Town Hall.

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“Nitrates in drinking water can be a risk to human health,” MDA Commissioner Dave Frederickson said. “Public drinking water supplies are monitored for nitrates, but it’s important for homeowners with private wells to check their water and take action if their water has high nitrates levels.”

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Samples will be analyzed on the spot since the process usually takes less than five minutes. Results will be given directly to the homeowner. If the nitrate level in a sample is elevated, clinic staff can refer the homeowner to certified labs that will retest the water.

The Scandia Town Hall is at 14727 209th St. North, in Scandia. Contact Wendy Griffin at 651-275-1136, ext. 24 for details. ( source )

Owners of private wells need to stay vigilant when it comes to monitoring nitrate levels in their well water — especially if the wells service homes containing small children and/or pregnant women. Scientists have positively linked elevated nitrate levels in drinking water to incidents of methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome.

In cases of blue baby syndrome, the nitrates get absorbed into the blood by hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying component of blood) which gets converted to methemoglobin… and methemoglobin does not carry oxygen nearly as efficiently as hemoglobin. This, in turn, results in lowered oxygen levels in the bloodstream and organs such as the brain then receive lower than needed amounts of oxygen.

Prolonged deprivation of oxygen flowing to the brain becomes particularly problematic for infants and young children since their blood cannot convert the methemoglobin back to hemoglobin and the brain, in extreme cases, can become damaged.

In truly extreme cases of blue baby syndrome the brain, and its owner, can die.

Protecting your drinking water source

A study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency roughly 20 years ago found that more than 50 percent of the private wells tested had traces of nitrates in their water — and we highly doubt that number has decreased since that time.

While the majority of nitrate contamination incidents take place in or around rural areas occupied by agricultural industries and activities, improperly installed or poorly placed wells in non-agricultural areas often get contaminated, as well.

When considering the location for a new well make certain the well will not reside within 100 feet of feed areas, regions that will get treated with fertilizers on a regular basis, barns, livestock pens, septic tanks, sewage discharge pipes, or places where chemicals of any kind will get stored. Oh, and PLEASE do not forget to place the well UPHILL from any of the aforementioned potential contamination sources.

Got a well on your property that no longer gets used? Did you know that it could easily serve as an entry point for unwanted contamination if not properly sealed or capped? Making sure old and/or abandoned wells have the correct protection over them will help ensure that the aquifer below remains untainted by contaminants on the surface near the well heads.

And finally, do not over-fertilize lawns, crops, etc. Nutrients not absorbed by the plants will wind up in runoff that will eventually find its way into the ground water supply.

Removing nitrates from drinking water?

Not all drinking water filters sold will remove nitrates and/or nitrites from ground, well and drinking water. The models below range from a simple disposable counter top model for nitrate removal all the way up to a whole house filter for nitrate removal.

While the majority of water systems DO stay in compliance with State and Federal drinking water regulations, sometimes mistakes happen, equipment fails, and/or people get lazy and try to cut corners by not testing as often as they should

When any or all of those things happen the quality of the water might suffer. For that reason State and Federal agencies conduct audits on public water systems to make sure each one has dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s on their paperwork and reports.

Every once in a while an audit will turn up some interesting violations and when that happens the information gets released to the public. That happened recently in the State of Oklahoma.

Nearly 140 public water supplies are operating in consistent violation of state and federal drinking water codes, pumping water containing chemicals linked to cancer, infant illness, and damage to the liver and nervous system.

In central Oklahoma, nine public water sites serving about 16,000 customers have orders to resolve environmental compliance issues, records from the state Department of Environmental Quality show.

The department regulates 1,582 public water systems in the state.

“The public has a right to know about the quality of their drinking water,” said department spokeswoman Skylar McElheny. “Some of these things might not hurt them for several decades, but they have the right to know.”

Consent orders are legal agreements between the state and the water system to resolve violations. If the terms of the order aren’t followed, the water system can be fined up to $10,000 per day depending on the violation. ( source )

As you can see, some pretty stiff fines accompany citations of non-compliance — yet instances will STILL occur where appropriate testing and maintenance will not get done.

Checking up on your local water department?

Federal law requires water departments to make their annual water quality reports available to the public. Many have started posting them online for download while others still mail them out upon request.

One thing to always keep in mind: Water travels through miles of water lines before it reaches your home and even though your water department does keep its equipment operating properly and does perform the required testing, lots of things can change about water as it passes through a wide range of pipe types and gets exposed to innumerable places where cracks in the lines could introduce foreign matter such as bacteria and debris.

Therefore it may serve you well to occasionally test the quality of water coming from your tap regardless of how great a job your water does… or doesn’t do.

Blue baby syndrome can also be caused by Methemoglobinemia. It is believed to be caused by high nitrate contamination in ground water resulting in decreased oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin in babies leading to death. The groundwater is thought to be contaminated by leaching of nitrate generated from fertilizer used in agricultural lands and waste dumps [4]. It may also be related to some pesticides (DDT, PCBs etc), which cause ecotoxicological problems in the food chains of living organisms, increasing BOD, which kills aquatic animals. ( source )

So… elevated nitrate levels in drinking water can lead to ‘methemoglobinemia’, but what does that word MEAN?

The disorder methemoglobinemia typically means the blood contains elevated levels of methemoglobin (metHb), a form of hemoglobin that really and truly likes to attach itself to oxygen molecules — and if present in too great a quantity it will latch onto enough oxygen molecules to cause living tissue to die as a result of oxygen-deprivation.

Where does the ‘blue’ part of blue baby syndrome come from?

Without proper oxygenation of red blood cells a condition known as cyanosis occurs. Note: The term has nothing to do with cyanide, though cyanide poisoning can definitely result in skin turning a shade of blue due to oxygen deprivation.

But, since the topic of cyanide has come up, if you believe you may have someone out to get you, or perhaps you live close to industrial facilities that may make use of cyanide in their processes, maybe you should consider testing your water for cyanide. The Cyanide Emergency Test Kit provides presence/absence test results if it detects cyanide levels between 2.0 ppm and 1,700 ppm.

Getting back to the topic of nitrates, though, health officials and water quality professionals agree that owners of wells should, at the very least, periodically test their well water for the presence of nitrates & nitrites, coliform bacteria, lead, copper, total iron, total hardness, pH, and heavy metals.

Moral of the story?

In the end, if you have a private well, the responsibility for making sure the quality of the water coming out of that well falls squarely on… your shoulders. Therefore, test your well water at least once a year. It’s your well, your water, and ultimately your LIFE.