ELGIN, Minn. — An alert was issued for nitrate poisoning in drinking water in Elgin, population 1,100, near the Olmsted and Winona county lines. Concentrations were 12 milligrams per liter— 20% moe than acceptable and dangerous for infants younger than six months even if mixed with formula or boiled or frozen.
Nitrate profile
Nitrates are invisible and have no taste or smell. The usual source is excessive crop fertilization to amp up crop yields. Run-off seeps from fields and feedlots into ground water, aquifers and wells. Near Elgin are springs and the headwaters of the Whitewater River that flows through Winona County to the Mississippi River.