GAITHERSBURG, Md. — For anyone interested in a hands-on approach to combatting nitrate pollution, the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) is offering a new citizen-science program called Nitrate Watch. 

Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound made up of nitrogen and oxygen, said Heather Wilson, IWLA Save our Streams Coordinator. It’s a kind of superpower because it is a plant nutrient. Plants take it in through their roots and grow with it.

“Sounds good so far,” Wilson said. “That’s why we include it in fertilizer. It’s also found in manure from confined animal feeding operations and in wastewater effluent. Unfortunately, the rate at which is it supplied and delivered to the landscape is in a quicker and higher quantity than the plants and the soil can use.”

Then the nitrate makes its way into waterways, she explained. That’s where it starts to cause all kinds of cascading effects, most of which are negative. First, it will arrive in the stream as this influx of nutrients and the plants there are growing like crazy; especially algae.

The algae grows fast, but ultimately dies and decays. The process of decomposition gobbles up the oxygen in the water. This blocks out the light for lower organisms, depletes oxygen, alters the pH, and makes it difficult for the things that are already growing in there to survive. It causes dead zones, hypoxia, and fish-kills

“From a human health perspective there is a whole other angle of issues,” Wilson said. “Algal blooms sometimes can harbor cyanobacteria which we sometimes call blue-green algae even though it is technically a different organism. Some of that cyanobacteria is fine but some of it is toxic and can create cyanotoxins.”

Cyanotoxins can be dangerous to people and animals, even without coming in contact with it, just by inhaling the aerosolized water. It can cause respiratory and more serious issues. 

“But also if we end up drinking nitrate in our drinking water there can be many different effects that we don’t fully understand yet,” Wilson said. “The one that has the longest history of research and the most regulations surrounding it is blue baby syndrome. It’s a syndrome that affects infants six months and younger especially and it can cause death in infants who have a weaker system. 

Because of that, in 1992 the EPA created the nitrate drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm). But at least a decade of research has found that different diseases like thyroid disease and other types of birth defects and cancer especially colon cancer can be associated with drinking nitrate and even potentially at levels that are lower than the current drinking water standard especially if it is prolonged exposure. 

“It is still an area developing research but it is a little bit concerning and warrants further investigation and potentially tighter restrictions on nitrate concentrations in drinking water,” Wilson said. 

Public drinking water systems draw from surface water, groundwater, or both and are subject to the regulatory limits set by the local government and the EPA. Private wells, however, draw from groundwater sources and are not subject to regulations for contaminants including nitrate. 

Nitrate Watch participants can monitor nitrate pollution. 

IWLA is sending free kits that contain nitrate test strips and all the instructions that volunteers need to participate, Wilson said. With 350 kits already going to 30 states, they are putting volunteers on a waiting list until they secure more funding which they are optimistic is forthcoming. 

“Volunteers receive the kit, take their test strips out and they monitor waterways they care about,” Wilson said. “That can be rivers, lakes, streams, also tile drainage if they are on a farm or near an agricultural area and it can also be drinking water.”

Data from Nitrate Watch volunteers is shared on the Clean Water Hub, where it is compiled in interactive, color-coded maps. This data is publicly accessible. 

IWLA members, staff, and volunteers will use this data and lessons learned to advocate for better regenerative agriculture practices and for modernizing drinking water standards to ensure they protect human health. 

To learn more and get involved visit www.nitratewatch.org.