Nitrate in well water

[aj]

Anybody ever test there water. I ordered a deal.........test strips......do they work? Do they make a machine that tests? Thanks in advance.

 

[knabe]

i run a community well.  Don't bother with the strips. Send the water out to a company that tests the water. They will do a few more tests for you for not that much $

 

[aj]

I might try that also knabe. I got to wondering about testing windmills in the area. The damn corn farmers are putting on 260 # of actual N. I don't see how some of that n is unused and is leeched into the water table. I am sure as hell worried more about this deal than global warming.

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

260lbs isn't that much for good dirt........you like to eat right?

 

[knabe]

free fertilizer.


no one on our well or any other well in the area drinks the water. 


we buy filtered, UV sterilized RO water at grocery store for $0.39/gal in 5 gallon jugs.

 

[Dale]

From the CDC.

Where and how does nitrate get into drinking water? 

Nitrate can occur naturally in surface and groundwater at a level that does not generally cause health problems. High levels of nitrate in well water often result from improper well construction, well location, overuse of chemical fertilizers, or improper disposal of human and animal waste. Sources of nitrate that can enter your well include fertilizers, septic systems, animal feedlots, industrial waste, and food processing waste. Wells may be more vulnerable to such contamination after flooding, particularly if the wells are shallow, have been dug or bored, or have been submerged by floodwater for long periods of time.

 

[aj]

Cattle drinking water at .40 cents a gallon can get pricey.

 

[Steve123]

Sell your well water as a Sport Drink-

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24791915

???

 

[aj]

I sent off for a gadget that is supposed to measure nitrates in water. Maybe I could monitor my windmills for the next 15 years.

 

[knabe]

Send out a sample for orthogonal comparison.