San Mateo County schools’ drinking water contaminated with nitrate

Image from October shows a beaker filled with water from the faucet at Pescadero Middle/High School in Pescadero, Calif. KGO-TV

PESCADERO, Calif. (KGO) — Drinking water is contaminated with nitrate at two San Mateo County schools. It’s a decades-old problem that resurfaced in a local science classroom.

“It’s horrible looking right now,” said Cullen Rose, the high school science teacher. “I knew just looking at it, I can’t drink this.”

Pescadero Middle and High School has periodically seen high levels of nitrate for decades. It’s a fertilizer chemical that’s known to contaminate drinking water in agricultural areas. Because of the chemical, the school’s drinking faucets are shut off and students have relied on shipments of bottled water for the past 25 years. But recently, teachers say those shipments have been unreliable.

Nitrate

You can’t taste it, smell it, or even see it in the water. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, consuming too much can reduce the ability of blood to carry oxygen, which can turn your skin blue, cause cancer, and in some cases even be deadly.

“It’s disgusting,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller. “It’s contaminated not only with nitrates but with […]

Full article: abc7news.com