Well Water Nitrate Detection System
Problem statement
Due to the agricultural activity in rural areas of Wisconsin, nitrate, often from fertilizer, has the potential to contaminate residential drinking water wells. This poses serious health concerns for families and can lead to long-term health risks, such as the formation of N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which are linked to various types of cancers, including stomach, kidney, and bladder cancer. Individuals consuming water from private wells, which are typically unregulated, face even higher exposure to nitrate contamination [1]. Currently, there is no effective and inexpensive method to monitor nitrate levels in residential wells continuously. Homeowners are left to perform testing on their well water to prove to local governmental and environmental protection agencies that their water levels are up to standard. There is a pre-existing design for a nitrate sensing solution that uses electrochemical sensors, but concerns exist regarding whether the sensor materials themselves may pose additional health hazards. Our team will develop a system using this existing sensing solution that will continuously monitor nitrate levels multiple times a day to mitigate the risks of excess nitrate contamination without posing additional health risks from the sensor’s materials. This solution will involve a system containing a separate module that will pump the well water through a separate device to avoid cross-contamination. [1] “Water contaminants and cancer risk: arsenic, disinfection byproducts, and nitrate,” National Cancer Institute, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://dceg.cancer.gov.
Team members
Varun Rajan – facilitator
Wyatt Birkholz – communicator
Connor Madigan – accountant
Be “The Sandwich” Ware II – admin
Client
Joseph Andrews
UW-Mechanical Engineering