A NATIONAL LOOK AT NITRATE CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER

By Bernard T. Nolan, Barbara C. Ruddy, Kerie J. Hitt, and Dennis R. Helsel

[This is an electronic version of an article that appeared in the January 1998 issue of
Water Conditioning and Purification, v. 39, no. 12, pages 76-79. This article replaced
USGS Fact Sheet FS-092-96. This article has been superseded by Probability of nitrate
contamination of recently recharged groundwaters in the conterminous United States.]
Printed copies of the article are available upon request to the NAWQA Program Office.
The digital MAP shown in figure 1 is available in GIF (95 KB) and PostScript (2.3 MB)
formats. If you reproduce the map, please credit the USGS. Thank you.

Ground water provides drinking water for more than one-half of the Nations population
(Solley and others, 1993), and is the sole source of drinking water for many rural
communities and some large cities. In 1990, ground water accounted for 39 percent of
water withdrawn for public supply for cities and towns and 96 percent of water
withdrawn by self-supplied systems for domestic use.
A variety of chemicals, including nitrate, can pass through the soil and potentially
contaminate ground water. Nitrate comes from nitrogen, a plant nutrient supplied by
inorganic fertilizer and animal manure. Additionally, airborne nitrogen compounds given
off by industry and automobiles are deposited on the land in precipitation and dry
particles. Other nonagricultural sources of nitrate include lawn fertilizers, septic systems,
and domestic animals in residential areas.
Beneath agricultural lands, nitrate is the primary form of nitrogen. It is soluble in water
and can easily pass through soil to the ground-water table. Nitrate can persist in ground
water for decades and accumulate to high levels as more nitrogen is applied to the land
surface every year.
Knowing where and what type of risks to ground water exist can alert water-resource
managers and private users of the need to protect water supplies. Although nitrate
generally is not an adult public-health threat, ingestion in drinking water by infants can
cause low oxygen levels in the blood, a potentially fatal condition (Spalding and Exner,
1993). For this reason, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established
a drinking-water standard of 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) nitrate as nitrogen (U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 1995). Nitrate concentrations in natural ground waters

are usually less than 2 mg/L (Mueller and others, 1995).
Risk of ground-water contamination by nitrate varies across the United States
The risk of ground-water contamination by nitrate depends both on the nitrogen input to
the land surface and the degree to which an aquifer is vulnerable to nitrate leaching and
accumulation. Variables describing nitrogen input and aquifer vulnerability were
estimated and compiled in a national map (figure 1) using procedures described by Nolan
and others (1997). The map shows four levels of contamination risk of shallow ground
water (less than 100 feet deep):
(1) low nitrogen input and low aquifer vulnerability (green area on the map);
(2) low nitrogen input and high aquifer vulnerability (yellow area);
(3) high nitrogen input and low aquifer vulnerability (orange area); and
(4) high nitrogen input and high aquifer vulnerability (red area).
Nitrogen input refers to nitrogen deposited on the land surface, and aquifer
vulnerability indicates the likelihood that nitrate from a nitrogen source at the land
surface will reach the water table.
Nitrogen inputs comprise the following two factors: loadings from agricultural and
nonagricultural sources; and population density, a variable used to indicate additional
nonagricultural sources of nitrogen in urban areas (table 1). Nitrogen loadings are
contributed by inorganic fertilizers, animal manure, and atmospheric deposition of
airborne nitrogen compounds. Population density represents nitrogen sources such as
residential fertilizers, septic systems, and domestic animal waste in urban areas.
Image of Table 1 for browsers that cannot read tables.
Table 1: Factors used to map risk of nitrate contamination of ground water

Magnitude
of Risk

Nitrogen-Input Factors

Aquifer-Vulnerability Factors

High (red
areas on
map--fig. 1)

High nitrogen loadinga or high

population densityb

Well-drained soil and low

woodland-to-cropland ratio

Moderately
High nitrogen loadinga or high
High (orange population densityb
areas)

Poorly drained soil or high

woodland-to-cropland ratio

Moderately
Low (yellow
areas)

Low nitrogen loadinga and low

population densityb

Well-drained soil and low

woodland-to-cropland ratio

Low (green
areas)

Low nitrogen loadinga and low

population densityb

Poorly drained soil or high

woodland-to-cropland ratio

Nitrogen loading refers to nitrogen inputs from inorganic fertilizer, animal

manure, and atmospheric deposition.
b
Population density is used to indicate additional nonagricultural sources of
nitrogen such as residential fertilizers, septic systems, and domestic animals.

Aquifer vulnerability depends on soil-drainage characteristics--the ease with which water

and chemicals can seep to ground water--and the extent of cropland versus woodland in
agricultural areas. Denitrification and plant uptake can occur beneath forests bordering
streams near cropland (Lowrance, 1992), and precipitation seeping through forest soils to
ground water contains less nitrogen than seepage beneath an agricultural field. Areas with
a high risk of ground-water contamination by nitrate generally have high nitrogen loading
or high population density, well-drained soils, and less extensive woodland relative to
cropland.
The Midwest has a high risk of ground-water contamination by nitrate, but parts of the
western and northeastern United States also are high-risk (figure 1). These areas--like
others shown in red on the national map--have high nitrogen input and vulnerable
aquifers. In contrast, the green, yellow, and orange areas (low to moderate risk) have low
nitrogen input and/or less vulnerable aquifers.
The national risk map indicates contamination potential, but does not show actual nitrate
contamination of ground water. Water-quality testing is necessary to determine actual
nitrate concentration. Compared with public-supply wells, most privately owned wells
are not routinely monitored for water quality.
Nitrate in ground water generally follows the risk map
Ground-water nitrate data collected by the U.S. Geological Surveys National WaterQuality Assessment (NAWQA) Program were analyzed to verify the four risk groups
shown on the national map. The NAWQA Program was begun in 1991 to describe the
quality of the Nations water resources, using nationally consistent methods. Whereas
prior verification work (Nolan and others, 1997) used historical nitrate data, the current
analysis used data from more than 1,400 wells sampled by the NAWQA Program during
1993 - 1995.

Nitrate concentration in ground water generally increases with higher nitrogen input and
higher aquifer vulnerability. People who live in areas shown in red on the national map
and who consume shallow ground water are more likely to drink high-nitrate water. The
bar chart in figure 2 shows the median concentration of nitrate in water from shallow
wells and the percent of wells in which the concentration of nitrate exceeds the EPA
drinking-water standard (10 mg/L) for each of the four risk groups. Each bar in figure 2
represents a risk group with the same color on the national map. Median nitrate
concentration and percent of wells from which water exceeds the EPA drinking-water
standard for nitrate are highest in areas with high nitrogen input and high aquifer
vulnerability (red areas).
Data for specific locations give examples of the difference in risk. Ground water in areas
shown in red in southeastern Washington State has a median nitrate concentration of 9.3
mg/L. In contrast, ground water in areas shown in green and yellow in western New
Mexico, where nitrogen input is low, has a median nitrate concentration of 0.17 mg/L.
Poorly drained soils can reduce the risk of ground-water contamination, even in areas
with high nitrogen input. For example, ground water in areas shown in orange in southern
Indiana has a median nitrate concentration of < 0.05 mg/L. Although nitrogen input is
high, most soils in the area are poorly drained, which restricts the movement of nitrate to
the water table (Mueller and others, 1995). Additionally, drains and ditches carry water
off to streams rather than letting it seep to ground water.
Large amounts of woodland interspersed among cropland can decrease the likelihood of
ground-water contamination, even in areas with high nitrogen input and, in some cases,
well-drained soils. Ground water in areas shown in orange in southern Georgia and
northern Florida has a median nitrate concentration of only 1.2 mg/L, despite the
extensive use of fertilizers in these areas. Proposed explanations for low nitrate in
shallow ground waters of the Southeast include dilution, denitrification, and uptake by
plants (Hubbard and Sheridan, 1989).
Ground-water nitrate data in some areas did not conform to risk patterns shown in figure
1. For example, median nitrate concentration in ground-water samples from eastern North
Dakota (shown in red on the national map) was < 0.05 mg/L, even though the map
indicates high contamination potential. The undulating, hilly landscape might be a factor.
Although soils in the area are fine-textured, they are classified as well-drained because of
their position and slope on the landscape. Water quickly runs off the hills and collects in
low-lying areas, where denitrification can occur. Other factors not used to create the
national map but which can affect nitrate concentration in ground water include land use,
aquifer type, and rainfall and irrigation amounts.
Who is most likely to drink high-nitrate ground water?
Where people live and the depth of their ground-water supply determine the quality of the
water they drink. In figure 3, four ranges of depth to ground water are shown for the
high-risk (red) areas on the national map. Nitrate contamination generally decreases with

increasing depth to ground water. Median nitrate concentration and percent of wells from
which water exceeds the EPA drinking-water standard for nitrate (10 mg/L) are highest
for shallow ground water (up to 100 feet deep). The water table in shallow wells is closer
to the land surface and to potential sources of contamination, such as fertilizers and septic
systems. In contrast, contamination is less likely to occur in deeper ground-water
reservoirs because contaminants have farther to travel (Mueller and others, 1995).
Conclusion
By determining the characteristics that influence ground-water contamination by nitrate,
USGS scientists have been able to map high- and low-risk areas of the Nation. Areas with
the highest risk have high nitrogen input, well-drained soils, and less extensive forested
areas relative to cropland. Although local variations from regional patterns of
contamination risk occur, data generally support the risk patterns shown on the national
map. Continued development of this predictive tool, both nationally and locally, will help
water resource managers develop more effective and economical approaches to protect
the quality of the Nation's ground waters.
References
1. Hubbard, R.K., and J.M. Sheridan, "Nitrate Movement to Groundwater
in the Southeastern Coastal Plain," Journal of Soil and Water
Conservation, 44, January-February 1989, pp. 20-27.
2. Lowrance, Richard, "Groundwater Nitrate and Denitrification in a
Coastal Plain Riparian Forest," Journal of Environmental Quality, 21, JulySeptember 1992, pp. 401-405.
3. Mueller, David K., Hamilton, Pixie A., Helsel, Dennis R., Hitt, Kerie J.,
and Barbara C. Ruddy, "Nutrients in Ground Water and Surface Water of
the United States--An Analysis of Data Through 1992," U.S. Geological
Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 95-4031, 1995.
4. Nolan, Bernard T., Ruddy, Barbara C., Hitt, Kerie J., and Dennis R.
Helsel, "Risk of Nitrate in Groundwaters of the United StatesA National
Perspective," Environmental Science and Technology, 31, August 1997,
pp. 2229-2236.
5. Solley, Wayne B., Pierce, Robert R., and Howard A. Perlman,
"Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1990," U.S. Geological
Survey Circular 1081, 1993.

6. Spalding, R.F., and M.E. Exner, "Occurrence of Nitrate in Groundwater

A Review," Journal of Environmental Quality, 22, July-September 1993,
pp. 392-402.
7. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Drinking Water Regulations and
Health Advisories," Office of Water, Washington, D.C., 1995.

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