PAW PAW, Mich. (WOOD) — Officials in Van Buren County will be testing drinking water for nitrates this week.
The Van Buren Conservation District and Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program will be testing water from private water systems this week. The water screening is free and open to residents on non-municipal systems, but limited to 150 samples for the week.
The screenings are for nitrates and nitrites which commonly appear in drinking water around agricultural communities. Nitrates and Nitrites in drinking water can result from nitrogen use on farm fields or treated lawns.
Nitrate is a compound that is formed naturally when nitrogen combines with oxygen or ozone. Nitrogen is essential for all living things, but high levels of nitrate in drinking water can be dangerous to health, especially for infants and pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.