Term Identity
What the term means in an annual report
Nitrate is one nitrogen-containing drinking-water contaminant with its own federal entry; nitrite and combined nitrate-plus-nitrite are distinct entries.
Why it may appear
A report includes nitrate results to summarize monitoring for the named system and period under the applicable drinking-water standard.
How it may be printed
Reports may say Nitrate, Nitrates, or Nitrate measured as Nitrogen and usually show an MCL, MCLG, unit, sample period, result, and printed status.
- Other names you may see
- Nitrate; Nitrates; Nitrate measured as nitrogen
- Common report labels
- Nitrate; Nitrates; Nitrate (Measured as Nitrogen)
Evidence
Official sources for this explainer
Use official federal, state, utility, or report sources before treating a page as final.
- Supports
- Nitrate federal entry; MCL and MCLG terminology; Measurement basis
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-11
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-11
Federal regulation
40 CFR 141.62 inorganic contaminant levels (opens official source)
- Supports
- Distinct nitrate and nitrite entries; Federal regulatory context
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-11
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-11
- Supports
- Annual-report purpose and reporting context; Report-period interpretation and official next steps
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-11
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-11
Regulatory Context
How to read the applicable rule language
Use this Nitrate context to read a report's printed fields; it does not replace the report or the current official rule.
Framework
Nitrate, nitrite, and total nitrate plus nitrite are separate federal regulatory entries. This topic maps only reviewed nitrate rows and does not convert values between measurement bases.
Limit or program terms
- MCL
- MCLG
Units and source context
Read the unit and whether the report states measured as nitrogen. Do not compare a value with a criterion that uses a different basis or unit.
What this page does not duplicate
Use the current EPA regulation and the report's own criterion fields. A source report may preserve wording or values that differ from a current general table.
No standalone numeric limit table is rendered here. Read the source report's printed criterion and the current official source together.
Interpretation Boundaries
What a listed result does not establish
These Nitrate boundaries apply to every report row connected to this explainer.
Household-level boundary
An annual system result does not establish a current result at a specific tap or a condition outside the report period.
What to verify next
Continue Reading
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