Salt, sodium and chloride, added to the environment may leach to groundwater and reach wells. Choosing a treatment option depends on quality and quantity of water to be treated, nitrate content, initial water quality, initial cost, operating cost, required management, and environmental impact. Summary High nitrate levels in water are a health concern. Excess nitrogen is readily converted to nitrate, moves with water, and may reach groundwater. Nonagricultural and agricultural sources of nitrogen contribute to the total.
All sources require careful management to minimize the risk for contamination of groundwater.
Careful management of livestock lots and use of the proper rate of nitrogen are the most important factors, but other management practices also are important. Recommended practices that minimize the risk of contamination should be given careful and immediate attention. All other rights reserved. In each case, credit Ray E. Lamond, G. Morgan Powell, and Dan Devlin, Nitrate and Groundwate r, Kansas State University, April 1999. This text was extracted from the publication, MF857.