This spring, we have seen many mentions of nitrate in the news media, and unfortunately it is not good news. From a major fertilizer spill to increasing cancer rates, it is clear that there is a connection between our land use, our water quality and ultimately the health and safety of our communities.

Applied to fields, nitrogen fertilizer helps improve yields. But when preventative measures to reduce pollution are not taken, excess nitrogen often flows off fields and into waterways where it forms nitrate, which some studies have linked to cancer in humans.

Preventable disasters

One newsworthy event was a massive fertilizer spill in southwest Iowa in late March. Approximately 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer was inadvertently dumped by a farmers’ cooperative into a drainage ditch near the East Nishnabotna River.

This massive influx of fertilizer killed roughly 789,000 fish including minnows, bass, catfish and sturgeon along roughly 60 miles of rivers in Iowa and Missouri, according to natural resource officials in the two states. Our very own Iowa Division President Dale Braun had an op-ed about this disaster published in both the Des Moines Register and Cedar Rapids’ The Gazette.

That same week, an article in The Gazette highlighted studies that demonstrate a correlation between agricultural practices and increased cancer rates. The article highlighted how Iowans could be at increased risk of cancers, since “nitrate is found at potentially harmful levels in 1-in-20 Iowa public drinking water systems and in more than 12,000 private wells in Iowa.” The article also noted that in 2022 (the most recent data available), agricultural operations in Iowa applied more fertilizer on fields compared to surrounding states.

Another report, from KCCI TV in Des Moines, discussed how heavy spring rains after a prolonged period of drought have caused an influx of nitrate in the water. As a result, Des Moines Water Works, the drinking water utility for the Des Moines metro area, has had to switch to a secondary source of raw water to limit the amount of nitrate they are taking in.

A national problem

Nitrate pollution is found in many parts of the U.S.—not just the Midwest and agricultural regions. Antiquated sewage treatment facilities, leaks from septic systems and excessive use of chemical fertilizer on commercial and residential properties all contribute to this serious pollution problem.

While this news is unpleasant, it is promising in some regards; it illustrates that people are indeed paying attention to nitrate pollution.

But this begs the question, how do we pinpoint, measure and track nitrate pollution? How can we help?

Get involved with Nitrate Watch

This recent nitrate news shows why we need more water quality first responders—volunteers armed with Nitrate Watch test kits to help locate and document hotspots. Armed with data, League staff and volunteers can advocate for solutions aimed at stopping pollution at the source.

Addressing this pollution problem depends not only on testing in more places, but also on sharing results with the American people - and that makes the Clean Water Hub a game changer.

Nitrate Watch test kits are distributed by mail and include 25 test strips and all the information needed to sample water (from rivers to the kitchen sink) and submit that data to the Clean Water Hub website.

Addressing this pollution problem depends not only on testing in more places, but also on sharing results with the American people—and that makes the Clean Water Hub a game changer. The League and our partners built this website to make volunteer-collected information about water quality readily available and understandable to the public. Today, the Hub provides this information for thousands of streams and other sites across the country.

And we can’t emphasize that point enough: the Clean Water Hub is a resource for everyone, not just volunteer scientists. Everyone can highlight this resource for friends and family—and for local governments, which often have limited means to monitor the health of streams, rivers and lakes.

Find more information about Nitrate Watch and get involved

Top photo: Nitrate Watcher Kim Hagemann tests tile drainage near Ankeny, Iowa that empties into the Rock Creek and eventually the Des Moines River. She is a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Credit: Kim Hagemann.