The nitrate contamination of private well water in Iowa

B.C. Kross, G.R. Hallberg, D.R. Bruner, K. Cherryholmes and J.K. Johnson

American Journal of Public Health, 1993, vol. 83, issue 2, 270-272

Abstract: The State-Wide Rural Well-Water Survey was conducted between April 1988 and June 1989. About 18% of Iowa's private, rural drinking-water wells contain nitrate above the recommended health advisory level (levels of NO 3- N greater than 10 mg/L); 37% of the wells have levels greater than 3 mg/L, typically considered indicative of anthropogenic pollution. Thirty-five percent of wells less than 15 m deep exceed the health advisory level, and the mean concentration of nitrate-nitrogen for these wells exceeds 10 mg/L. Depth of well is the best predictor of well-water contamination. Individually, NO 3-N levels of more than 10 mg/L occurred alone in about 4% of the private wells statewide; pesticides were present alone in about 5%. Total coliform positives occurred alone at 27% of the sites. In a cumulative sense, these three contaminants were detected in nearly 55% of rural private water supplies.

Date: 1993
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1993:83:2:270-272_2

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