Nitrate Watch
Nitrogen pollution threatens the nation's waterways. The Izaak Walton League and their volunteers are making a difference.
What is Nitrate Watch?
Nitrate Watch is a program that invites volunteers from across the country to take an active part in monitoring nitrate pollution. Volunteers can monitor nitrate levels in surface water and drinking water using the Izaak Walton League’s free nitrate test kits. Data is uploaded onto the Clean Water Hub where it is available to anyone. By monitoring and making the nitrate data public, nitrate pollution hotspots are highlighted in areas that aren’t being regularly monitored. This data is used to spread awareness and advocate for change.
What is Nitrate Pollution?
Nitrate is a naturally occurring nutrient important for plant growth. Because nitrate encourages plant growth, it is present in fertilizers and applied to the nation’s landscapes. However, plants are not able to take up nitrate at the rate it is being applied and the excess is carried into waterways via runoff. Agriculture is the source of most nitrate pollution but urban and residential areas are contributing as well.
Adding an excess of nutrients (nitrate) to bodies of water causes intense algae growth, also known as algae blooms. This algae will eventually die and begin decomposing. High rates of decomposition reduces oxygen levels in water, causing dead zones. These are known as dead zones because fish and macroinvertebrates cannot survive without oxygen.
Excess nitrate and algae blooms can also have adverse human health effects. Algae blooms can be toxic within surface water and contamination of drinking water by elevated nitrate can cause conditions like blue baby syndrome, thyroid disease, birth defects, and colon cancer.
How to Get Involved!
Take the Nitrate Watch Pledge and Request a Kit
Use Test Strips to Measure Nitrate
Report Results to the Clean Water Hub
To get involved further, learn how to get the word out, contact local government, and continue learning:
Beginning in February 2023, Nitrate Watch has been tracking nitrate concentrations all over the country. In 2024, volunteers reported over 5,000 nitrate readings on the Clean Water Hub.
Nitrate Watch Findings
This map summarizes current Nitrate Watch data. This data is also available to view on the Clean Water Hub .
Larger circles indicate areas with more data. The color of a circle indicates the concentration of nitrate reported - green corresponds to low concentrations, while red corresponds to high concentrations.
Nitrate Watch Data as of March 7, 2025.
Going Beyond Nitrate Sampling
Advocacy Guide
The Advocacy Guide provides guidance on advocating for clean water, including who to advocate to, how to use your data, and how to take action!
Healthy Soil, Clean Water Fact Sheet
Nitrate Watch Fact Sheets
Nitrate Watch has created several fact sheets that can be used to educate those in your community on nitrate pollution. Each covers a unique, nitrate related, concern. If you want to spread the word, hand these outs to neighbors and friends!
Nitrate & Drinking Water Fact Sheet
These topics include Nutrient Pollution 101 , Nitrate & Drinking Water , Nitrate and Algae , Healthy Soil, Clean Water , Reducing Nitrate Pollution at Home , and The Cost of Nitrate Pollution .
Nitrate Watch Partner Organizations
Nitrate Watch partner organizations are spreading the word, reporting data, and advocating for reduced nitrate pollution. See where some of our partners work, and how they use Nitrate Watch to monitor and advocate for water quality!
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1
Friends of the Rouge
Friends of the Rouge is Nitrate Watch's first partner. Starting in June 2023, FOTR volunteers have begun to use Nitrate Watch to monitor nitrate at over a dozen sites along the Rouge River in SE Michigan.
2
Farmington River Watershed Association
Based out of Connecticut, the Farmington River Watershed Association has incorporated Nitrate Watch into their monitoring plan for 23 locations throughout the watershed.
3
Prairie Rivers of Iowa
Prairie Rivers of Iowa partners with local organizations to coordinate a robust water quality monitoring program in Central Iowa.
4
Iowa Environmental Council
The Iowa Environmental Council is a leading advocate for clean water in Iowa and has a long history of educating Iowans about the dangers of nitrate pollution in surface waters and drinking water.
5
Iowa Learning Farms
Iowa Learning Farms has included Nitrate Watch as a part of a toolkit to help farmers incorporate conservation practices on their land.
6
Iowa CCI
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) launched their Clean Water Book Club in 2023. They will be sharing Nitrate Watch with book club participants in an effort to encourage more Iowans to monitor water quality and become engaged in water quality issues.
7
Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors
JFAN is a nonprofit educational foundation composed of rural and town residents, and traditional family farmers. Our common concern is to stop the growth of infringing factory farms in Jefferson County and protect our Quality of Life.
8
Little Falls Watershed Alliance
Little Falls Watershed Alliance volunteers have added nitrate testing to their weekly routine of testing for bacteria along the Little Falls Branch in Montgomery County, MD.
9
Loudon Wildlife Conservancy
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy water quality monitors have noticed massive amounts of algae at their monitoring sites in Leesburg, VA. They plan to add nitrate testing to their current monitoring efforts, with the goal of using the data for advocacy and educational outreach efforts with local government and HOAs.
Join Nitrate Watch!
Are you ready to get started? You can become one of the Izaak Walton League's nationwide volunteers and start sampling for nitrates near you. Request your free Nitrate Watch kit here !
This kit will contain everything you will need including your nitrate testing strips and instructions on sampling and reporting data.
