How Serious Is the Nitrate Problem for German Drinking Water?

There is no sugar-coating this point. The problem is significant, as the media repeatedly report. It is said that a quarter to a third of Germany's groundwater resources have nitrate levels that are too high. Many surface waters are also heavily contaminated with nitrate. The seriousness of the situation is also evident in political debates and the European Commission's lawsuit against Germany due to the high nitrate pollution of waters. In response to a minor inquiry by the Green Party about which groundwater bodies do not meet good chemical status due to excessive nitrate concentrations, the Federal Ministry for the Environment stated: "According to current knowledge, nationwide 306 out of a total of 1203 groundwater bodies are in poor chemical status due to high nitrate contamination."

What Is the Cause of So Much Nitrate in Groundwater?

The main culprit is agriculture, especially intensive livestock farming. Slurry and artificial fertilisers contain a lot of nitrate. Nitrate is necessary for plant growth. But as with almost everything, the dose makes the poison. Simply put, too much slurry is produced and spread on the fields. Germany itself produces more slurry than is needed as fertiliser for growing fruit and vegetables. The soils in Germany are simply over-fertilised. Therefore, the so-called slurry tourism is hardly understandable. The Dutch export their slurry to Germany because they do not know where else to put it.

Is a Solution for the Nitrate Problem in Sight Soon?

This is hardly foreseeable. How inactive the federal government has been for many years is illustrated by the EU Commission's lawsuit. "The Nitrates Directive, adopted by EU countries in 1991, aims to improve water quality in Europe by preventing pollution of groundwater and surface water by nitrates from agricultural sources and promoting the use of exemplary agricultural practices. All EU countries must monitor their waters and identify those threatened by pollution," says the EU Commission. The federal government thus had 25 years to take measures and address the growing nitrate problem. And before the EU Commission sues a state, several stages of infringement proceedings must be completed.
The federal government places great hope in the revision of the Fertiliser Ordinance. However, for years there has been hardly any agreement on what should be included in the Fertiliser Ordinance and especially how. The lobbyists of various interest groups (e.g. agricultural associations and water utilities) as well as differing political positions make it difficult to reach an agreement on the points in the Fertiliser Ordinance that could ultimately be truly effective measures against nitrate pollution.

How Contaminated Is the Drinking Water with Nitrate?

German water utilities are still managing to comply with the limit values of 50 milligrams of nitrate per litre, albeit sometimes just barely in certain areas. German water utilities are very aware of the nitrate problem and are accordingly committed to holding the polluters accountable. The water utilities are the ones suffering because they have to ensure that the limits of the German Drinking Water Ordinance are met. This is also stated in the “Report of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Environment Agency to consumers on the quality of water for human consumption (drinking water) in Germany“:
“As in the reporting years 2009/2010, exceedances of the nitrate parameter limit value in drinking water remain a rare exception. However, this neither allows a direct conclusion about the nitrate content of raw waters nor contradicts the recently observed and media-reported increase in nitrate concentration in groundwater due to renewed inputs from agriculture and biomass production. The previous successes in complying with the nitrate limit value in drinking water are due, not least, to treatment measures for nitrate removal in the large reportable water supplies.”

Water utilities have two options to comply with nitrate limits in drinking water. Either the contaminated water is diluted with water from uncontaminated sources or wells until the limit is undershot, or the water must be treated technically, which is very costly. “We must better protect our groundwater – and above all reduce nitrate inputs from agriculture. More and more water suppliers fear that soon there will not be enough uncontaminated groundwater nearby for drinking water extraction. Then these water suppliers would have to remove nitrate technically from the groundwater or bring it from far away,” warns UBA President Maria Krautzberger.

How harmful is nitrate to health?

A concentration above the valid limit value can, according to the EU Commission, have significant effects on human health, especially on pregnant women and young children. Nitrate itself is not harmful to health, but nitrate is converted into nitrite in the gastric juice. Too much nitrite can lead to oxygen deficiency in the blood in infants and can cause cyanosis (a bluish discoloration). In the worst case, oxygen deficiency in vital organs such as the central nervous system and the heart can lead to death if sufficiently severe.
Nitrites can biochemically react further. In combination with protein building blocks, so-called nitrosamines are formed in the intestine, which are suspected of causing cancer. "Nitrosamines are mainly associated with the development of stomach cancer," says the German Cancer Research Center. "Together with endogenous or also food-derived amines or amides, N-nitroso compounds can form. Most of these compounds have been shown to be carcinogenic in animal experiments. According to the BfR, nitrate and nitrite intake through food should be reduced," advises the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.

How can I find out the nitrate content of my drinking water?

"Beyond the information compiled in the report to the EU Commission, consumers can obtain information about drinking water from the responsible health authority or the water supply company. According to Section 21, Paragraph 1 of the Drinking Water Ordinance 2001, the water supplier (regardless of the size of the water supply system) is obliged to inform consumers with suitable and up-to-date information material about the quality of the drinking water it provides. Many water supply companies also provide current analysis data and further information about drinking water on the internet," says the Federal Environment Agency.

What can I do about nitrate in drinking water?

Active protection is provided by a water filter. However, there are different water treatment methods with water filters. For example, a tabletop or jug filter can only reduce the nitrate concentration. Other methods such as ion exchangers or distillation processes are more common in industry. To remove nitrate from drinking water as effectively as possible, a reverse osmosis water filter with nanofiltration is recommended for private use. A reverse osmosis water filter with nanofiltration naturally filters not only nitrates but also germs, bacteria, heavy metals such as uranium, mercury or lead, pharmaceutical residues, X-ray contrast agents, pesticides, herbicides, plant protection agents, household chemicals, microplastics and many other of the thousands of chemical substances and compounds. If you want to know more about clean and pure drinking water for yourself and your family or why a reverse osmosis water filter can guarantee this high filtering effectiveness – ask the experts at BestWater.