Reports of Nitrates in Montana Drinking Water Wells Increase

BOZEMAN -- Nitrates in Montana drinking water are increasing, according to results from a voluntary testing program. (See also: Quick, Cheap Test for Nitrate Now Available)

So are bacteria in drinking water, says Jim Bauder, Montana State University Extension soil and water quality specialist who organized the testing.

Sixty-eight percent of 250 water samples taken in 1997 had detectable nitrate, and 29 percent of the wells had bacterial contamination.

"This is not a random sample, so it does not mean that 68 percent of Montana wells have nitrates," says Bauder. "However, the 68 percent of wells with nitrates is up from 11 percent of similar samples we did in 1989 when we started this program, and the 29 percent of wells with bacteria are up from 6 percent in 1989," says Bauder.

There are probably several reasons for the increasing reports of nitrates in well tests, and not all of them lead to a conclusion of worsening water quality.

"We're getting better at measuring nitrate-nitrogen," says Bauder. "We're also probably concentrating our testing in areas where nitrates tend to occur. However, I also think there probably is a real increase in nitrates and bacteria in well water."

Of the 68 percent of tested wells with detectable nitrates, 21 percent of those had nitrate over the 10 parts per million that is the EPA's allowable limit for public water supplies, says Bauder.

Bauder started MSU Extension's voluntary private well testing program in 1989. Nearly 6,000 private wells have been tested during the nine years of the program.

In 1997, 250 well owners or users from 14 Montana counties participated in this program through county Extension offices. The program provides confidential testing for salinity, acidity, lead, sodium, coliform bacteria, nitrate-nitrogen and selected metals.

Bauder says the MSU studies and those of the U.S. Geological Survey in Helena, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the state Department of Agriculture have repeatedly shown that some counties are more susceptible to having high nitrates. Those counties are Daniels, Fergus, Gallatin, Roosevelt, Valley, Sheridan, Judith Basin, Madison, Jefferson and Teton.

High concentrations of nitrate and nitrite nitrogen in drinking water can cause methoglobinemia, otherwise known as "blue baby" syndrome. Also, says Bauder, there drinking high-nitrate water long-term may be associated with Parkinson's disease.

Common sources of nitrates include summer fallowing of agricultural land, septic tanks, livestock waste or the underlying geology of the region. Generally nitrates show up in wells less than 120 feet deep, where soils are very porous and where the underlying material is very gravelly.

People with wells that have high nitrates can use green sand, reverse osmosis filters or distillation, to help remove nitrate-nitrogen from drinking water. However, they should not boil their water, which concentrates the nitrates.

Wells with coliform bacteria often are an indication that the well is open to other contaminants as well. Iron or sulfur bacteria generally are not a problem, says Bauder, because they indicate past rather than present contamination. However, measures should be taken to purify a well if it has coliform bacteria. The usual treatments are to either purify it by a shock treatment of chlorine, to use a continuous chlorination process, or to boil or distill the water.

The well water testing program will occur again in the spring of 1998, says Bauder. If people are concerned about the well water they are drinking, there are both private and public labs that will test water. For more information, people can contact their local Extension Service. They also can ask if the Extension office will participate in the 1998 program. If so, they can put their name on the mailing list for additional information about the program that will become available this winter.

Quick, Cheap Test for Nitrate Now Available

BOZEMAN-- There is a quick, inexpensive test to check for nitrates in private well water, says Jim Bauder, Montana State University Extension soil and water quality specialist.

A little strip, which looks like a piece of litmus paper or the strips diabetics use to test for elevated sugar, can be used to quickly and inexpensively check a water sample for nitrate and nitrite-nitrogen.

High concentrations of nitrate and nitrite nitrogen in drinking water can cause methoglobinemia, otherwise known as "blue baby" syndrome and may be associated with Parkinson's disease.

"We have had 100 percent success with this little diagnostic tool," says Bauder. "You just dip the strip in a sample of water. For about 20 to 50 cents per sample, you can find out if nitrates are present."

Because of the ease of use of this test, homeowners can test their water regularly.

Contact your local hardware, county sanitarian or county Extension agent to get more information, or contact Bauder at 994-5685.

If you read this, we need to know who you are! Please send your name, city/state/country and the name of the topic you read to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717. If your browser supports the "MAILTO" tag , the following address will reach both Bauder and Flaherty at carolf@montana.edu.

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