Fun fact: you are pooping near the problem. Well, not you personally. But farm animals and septic tanks.
Nitrates come from runoff. Think of rain washing cow poop and garden fertilizer into rivers. It’s nature’s recycle bin gone wild.
Also, if you live near a golf course, guess what? Those perfect green lawns are leaking nitrates into your well water. Thanks, golf.
The Nitrate vs. Nitrite Confusion
There’s a cousin called nitrite. It’s even scarier. But most home tests check for both.
If you see a color for nitrite first, your water is really angry. Nitrate is the chill older sibling. But still, keep an eye on it.
Don’t mix up the charts. That’s embarrassing. You’ll think your water is toxic when it’s actually fine.
