In our experience, four basic groups of people ought to consider installing a nitrate filter on their drinking water line and/or main water line, though other folks may have reason to as well:

   * Anyone who has well water and lives in an area where regional flooding takes place on a regular or semi-regular basis. Nitrates occur naturally in the environment and if a well head gets covered by flood water, any crack or fissure in the well covering could allow nitrates, bacteria and other potentially harmful contaminants to infiltrate the well.

   * Anyone who has well water and lives in an area close to certain types of manufacturing facilities — most notably fertilizer factories. Sometimes runoff containing nitrates from facilities infiltrate local water supplies… by accident, of course.

   * Anyone who has well water and lives in or close to areas engaged in agriculture (farming). Many of the fertilizers used by even the smallest of farms contain nitrates and often times those nitrates will get washed away by rain water and make their way into aquifers. Additionally, farms that raise animals may not always dispose of nitrate-rich animal waste and just as in the case of nitrates from fertilizers, the nitrates from animal waste often find their way into aquifers.

First Line of Defense

Without testing, one will never know if their water contains potentially harmful contaminants. Therefore, a homeowner’s first line of defense against drinking water contamination is and always will be testing their drinking water.

For nitrate and nitrate in drinking water testing, SenSafe manufactures an easy-to-use test strip that measures both nitrate and nitrate concentrations in water at the same time and yields results in about one minute.

Should you rely solely upon a test strip to tell you whether or not your water contains potentially harmful contaminants? Not at all. Certified testing labs such as National Testing Laboratories specialize in analyzing drinking water for contaminants and follow strict government approved and/or recommended protocols when performing any testing.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It may sound overly simplistic, but when it comes to feeding livestock, what goes into an animal greatly influences what comes out. On that obvious principle is based a promising Penn State research initiative involving precision feeding of dairy cattle.

Leading component

Feed management is now a leading component of comprehensive nutrient-management plans, according to project leader Virginia Ishler, nutrient-management extension specialist in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission has determined that, by far, the most cost-effective way to minimize the environmental impact of the large volumes of manure generated within the estuary’s watershed is through adjusting feed formulation for poultry and livestock, Ishler noted. ( source )

Sounds like such a simple theory, but for years apparently no one figured that out… or bothered to actually do a study to prove its validity. The lack of application of this simple theory explains why well owners ought to check their wells for the presence of nitrites and nitrates on a regular basis — especially they live in an agricultural area.

What are the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levles for Nitrates and Nitrites?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has set MCL for nitrates in drinking water at 10.0 ppm (mg/L) and the MCL for nitrites in drinking water at 1.0 ppm (mg/L).

What can happen if my water has too many nitrates and/or nitrites?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.” ( source )

The same warning applied for both nitrates and nitrites.

How can I test for nitrates/nitrites in drinking water?

As usual, we first warn that nothing takes the place of a through water analysis performed by a certified water testing laboratory. For those who wish to test on their own between laboratory testing, products such as Eco Check, WaterWorks 9-Way, and WaterWorks Well Water Check offer quick, reliable on-the-spot test results for nitrates and nitrites in drinking water and other vital drinking water parameters.