Water 101: Understanding Your Drinking Water
September 15 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
En Español & Other Languages
WHAT IS NITRATE?
- Nitrate is a chemical found in water that’s hard to notice—it has no color, taste or smell—but high levels can increase health risks. It’s of greatest concern to infants under 6 months, pregnant women, and older adults with compromised immunity systems. Boiling water won’t help; it concentrates the nitrate.
Where Does It Come From?
- Wastewater is water discharged from our home (sewer or septic tank), agriculture (farms and dairies), industries (such as food processing), or cities (public sewer system), and from surface or stormwater runoff. This wastewater carries contaminants (nitrate, pesticides, heavy metals, and organisms) that can be released into a river, a lake, or the soil where it seeps or moves slowly into the groundwater below the ground. At high enough concentrations, the contaminants can make groundwater supplies unusable for drinking water.
- In localized areas, nitrate is a major cause of unsafe drinking water. Nitrate seeps slowly into the groundwater from fertilizers or after being discharged as wastewater from animal feedlots, industrial facilities, municipal wastewater treatment plants, or leaky septic systems.
What are the risks of drinking water contaminated with nitrate?
- Drinking water with high levels of nitrate can create human health risks, especially for infants and pregnant women.
- Infants under six months of age have a greater risk of nitrate poisoning, called methemoglobinemia (“blue baby” syndrome). Toxic effects occur when bacteria in the infant’s stomach convert nitrate to more toxic nitrite. When nitrite enters the bloodstream, it interferes with the body’s ability to carry oxygen to body tissues. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin around the eyes and mouth. Infants with these symptoms need immediate medical care since the condition can lead to coma and eventually death.
- High nitrate levels may also affect the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood of pregnant women. Pregnant women are susceptible to methemoglobinemia and should be sure that the nitrate concentrations in their drinking water are at safe levels.
- Do not give this water to infants. Infant formula and other edible products should be prepared with bottled water or other water with low levels of nitrate.
- You can safely do laundry, bathe, and use the water to clean surfaces if other contaminants are not present.
- Visit the California Department of Public Health Nitrate Fact Sheet for more information. En Espanol
Why Test Your Water?
- Testing is the only way to know if your water contains high levels of nitrate. If it does, we’ll help you get clean, safe drinking water.
Visit the Nitrate Control Program webpage for more information
The Nitrate Control Program helps address the problem of too much nitrate in groundwater. Its main goal is to make sure people with wells that have unsafe nitrate levels (above 10 mg/L) have access to clean drinking water.
To meet these goals, local Management Zones have been set up. Valley Water Collaborative manages seven Management Zones including the (from north from south) Yolo, Eastern San Joaquin, Delta-Mendota, Modesto, Turlock, Merced and Madera groundwater subbasins.
DO I LIVE IN THE VALLEY WATER COLLABORATIVE SERVICE AREA?
Enter your address in the search bar located on the top right-hand side of the map.
If your address is in the blue zone, you are in our service area! If you get your drinking water from a well, fill out an application to get your well tested.
If you are not sure whether you are in our service area or have any questions, please contact us! We are happy to help!
What Does a Management Zone Do?
Overview of the Nitrate Control Program in your Area
A Management Zone is a group of people, organizations, and agencies working together to protect your water and keep it safe for everyone to drink. They have two main jobs: to solve water problems now and make long-term plans for the future. Here’s how they do it:
Goals of a Management Zone
- Ensure a Safe Drinking Water Supply
Management Zones provide safe drinking water for people whose wells are affected by nitrate. The organizations and its participating entites provide emergency bottled water, set up filling stations, and work on permanent solutions to provide clean drinking water. - Reduce Nitrate in the Groundwater
- Improve Groundwater Quality in Nitrate Contaminated Groundwater Basins
Management Zones must track how participating industries complete projects intended to lower nitrate contamination to levels that meet drinking water standards (10 mg/L). These projects must be developed and prioritized in locations where communities depend on groundwater for drinking purposes.
How Do Management Zones Work?
Management Zones follow a two-step plan to help communities:
Phase 1: Early Action Plan
- Free Well Testing: Private wells are tested for free. If the well water has nitrate above State health standards, free drinking water is provided to the household.
Phase 2: Long-Term Solutions
- Ongoing Support: Continue Phase 1 activities.
- Planning for the Future:
- Work with families and communities to find long-term solutions for safe water.
- Partner with state and local agencies to fix water problems.
- Help industries and cities find ways to reduce nitrate releases from their operations.
Why Are Management Zones Important?
Management Zones are all about teamwork. They listen to the community, make plans, and take action to protect water now and for future generations. By working together, we can make sure everyone has clean, safe water to drink.
To learn more about these plans , visit: Management Zone Plans. You can also sign up for our email list to stay informed and attend community meetings!
How It Works
- Do You Qualify?
- Do you use a private well or small water system for your drinking water?
- Do you live within our service area? Check if your address is in our program boundary using our INTERACTIVE MAP.
- How to Apply:
- Fill out our simple ONLINE APPLICATION or CALL US (209) 750-3867 for help!
- Once approved, you will be contacted to schedule your free well water test.
- What Happens Next?
- If nitrate levels are high:
- We’ll set up delivery of free bottled water right to your door.
- Bottled water delivery is available regardless of income level.
- If we find other problems (not nitrate):
- Solutions are available through special grants.
- Please note that residents must be located in a disadvantaged community or be low-income to qualify.
- If both nitrate and other contaminants are found:
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- We’ll set up delivery of free bottled water right to your door.
- Bottled water delivery is available regardless of income level.
How Does VWC Operate?
- VWC is managed by a 12-member Board of Directors that represents agriculture, cities, food processors, wineries and other industries. Funding for VWC comes from water quality permit holders in these industries who are required to address nitrate contamination under the State-mandated Nitrate Control Program.
- In 2022, the Valley Water Collaborative expanded its work to cover more than nitrate contamination in wells and started testing for other substances including arsenic, uranium, and chromium, as well as chemicals like 1,2,3-TCP, DBCP, and EDB. This expansion is paid for by a grant from the State Water Board’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (SAFER).