Abstract

Public attention and Federal legislation have focused recently on the contamination of groundwater by nitrate. Seeking to establish standards for safe drinking water, the Federal Government has set the maximum concentration for nitrate (as nitrogen) at 10 parts per million. In large areas of the Great Plains, this value is now commonly exceeded in well water. The limited data from Kentucky appear to indicate that excessive nitrate concentrations are not as widespread in Kentucky water supplies as they are in the water of states more heavily involved in grain production and more dependent on shallow wells for supply. One of the more compelling arguments for controlling nitrate leaching to groundwater is raised by concern over public health in rural America. Nitrate in drinking water poses a threat primarily to infants, though, at very high concentrations, the health of adults and livestock may also be adversely affected.

Publication Date

1989

Volume

10

Number

2

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