Nitrate is a soluble form of nitrogen that appears at very low concentrations in most surface waters as a result of natural biological processes. Higher concentrations in groundwater originate primarily from the leaching of fertilizers, septic systems and manure storage or spreading operations.
Groundwater provides all of the drinking water on Delmarva, and comprehensive surveys of wells in Sussex County indicate that nearly one out of every three exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) maximum concentration guidelines for nitrate, which is 10 parts per million.
“Nitrate contamination is especially a problem because the combination of a shallow water table and sandy soils allows nitrate contamination at the surface to easily infiltrate the groundwater,” said Joseph Scudlark, the UD scientist who will conduct the water testing. He added that nitrate in groundwater also contributes to excess nutrient inputs to coastal waters such as Delaware's Inland Bays, which have been linked to fish kills and other ecological problems.
Without special laboratory testing, nitrate in water is undetectable because it is colorless, odorless and tasteless. At low levels, nitrate poses no known hazard to consumers. But high levels in drinking water have been shown to cause "blue baby disease," a disorder of infants and young children caused by inadequate oxygenation of the blood. Some experts believe that long-term ingestion of water high in nitrate may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, although this link may be because high nitrate levels are often indicative of the presence of other contaminants from common sources.
To have your drinking water tested at Coast Day, bring a sample with you in a small, clean (preferably glass) bottle. The sample should be drawn from the cold-water faucet. Let the faucet run for a few minutes, thoroughly rinse the bottle, then fill it with water and immediately refrigerate it. For the results to be accurate, the sample should be freshly drawn and remain cold until tested.
Samples should be dropped off in 125A Cannon Lab. Results will be available within several hours or can be mailed directly to your home. Should a sample's nitrate level exceed the recommended maximum concentration, instructions will be provided on where to go for further assistance. As part of Coast Day, the lab will also be testing the nitrate levels in several commercial bottled waters, and will be evaluating several water purification systems available to homeowners.
For more information on the water testing, call Scudlark at (302) 645-4300.
Admission to Coast Day and all events are free; parking is $2. For more information, contact the Marine Public Education Office at 302-831-8083 or visit [www.ocean.udel.edu].
Free bus shuttle service to and from Coast Day 2007 is being offered to University of Delaware students, employees and members of their immediate families on Sunday, Oct. 7. For more information, visit [www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/sep/buses092007.html].
Article by Elizabeth Boyle
