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   The Cass County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League will participate in the first national Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week, July 26 through August 1, 2026. During this week, experts and clean water advocates will discuss the breadth of the nitrate crisis as well as solutions. This week-long event aims to share information with the public and inspire advocacy to reduce the amount of nitrate entering our nation’s waterways and drinking water supplies. For more information see the Izaak Walton League of America website at Iwla.org/nitrateawareness. The Cass County Chapter will be doing nitrate testing in the area on Thursday, July 30. We will meet at the Hackensack city dock at 9 a.m. We will divide into groups that will then travel in the area to begin nitrate testing, and we will finish at about 1 p.m. You can join a group or follow around in your vehicle and work with us for as long as you want. For more information, please email [email protected]

   Why are we doing this? Nitrate (NO3–) is a naturally occurring compound made up of nitrogen and oxygen that is an essential nutrient for plants. But human activities add more nitrogen than plants and soils can use. As nitrogen moves through the environment, it becomes nitrate, which is soluble in water. That means it can wash off farmlands and lawns by rainwater, irrigation systems or melting snow into waterways and groundwater.

   Excess nitrate poses problems for human health and the environment. Reducing nitrate in drinking water to safe levels is expensive and often requires additional clean water to dilute the nitrate.

Nitrate in drinking water is linked to serious health 

problems

   Excess nitrate in water poses health risks to humans such as increased incidence of thyroid disease, pre-term births, neural tube defects and cancers. In terms of ensuring safe drinking water, the EPA standard (set in 1962) is 10 milligrams per liter, or roughly 10 parts per million. However, research suggests that prolonged exposure to nitrate levels at lower levels can still pose health threats. 

Dead zones, fish kills and other 

damage to the 

environment

   In aquatic ecosystems, nitrate can have disastrous impacts, including the creation of harmful algal blooms (HAB), fish kills and dead zones—including the large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  

Volunteers monitor local waterways to measure threat level

   Across the country, hundreds of volunteers participate in the Nitrate Watch program by documenting the nitrate in local waterways and drinking water. Each Nitrate Watch kit includes 25 nitrate-N test strips and instructions for testing water and sharing results on the Clean Water Hub database, which allows the public and researchers to examine nitrate levels around the U.S. Visit the database at www.cleanwaterhub.org. Request a nitrate testing kit at https://iwla.org/nitrate-pollution-awareness-week-monitor/.

   If you are interested in nitrate pollution and want to help, please contact us and join the testing by the Cass County Ike’s on July 30.

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