Fertilizer Contamination of Water Sources.

The increase in the use of fertilizers in recent decades has over-loaded systems with nitrogen.

The figure below shows a graph of the growth trends in fertilizer use worldwide.

Fertilizer Use is Climbing

Estimated Growth in Fertilizer Use, 1960-2020

Source: Balu Bumb and Carlos Baanante, World Trends in Fertilizer Use and Projections to 2020, 2020 Brief No. 38 (International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C., 1996), Table 1. According to the World Resources Institute, nitrate is the United State's most common and widespread groundwater pollutant and "22 percent of wells in U.S. agricultural areas contained levels of nitrate in excess of the federal limit". Nitrate contamination is most dangerous to infants, as it can cause a disorder that causes their red blood cells to malfunction, causing what is know as "blue baby syndrome". More information on this topic can be found at the the World Resources Institute's website on this topic: http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8439