Agriculture producers may find they don’t have to bottle their water from the Seymour Aquifer in the Rolling Plains to make it more valuable, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists.

Drs. John Sij, Cristine Morgan and Paul DeLaune have studied nitrate levels in irrigation water from the Seymour Aquifer for the past three years, and have found nitrates can be as high as 40 parts per million. Though unacceptable for drinking, the water would benefit agricultural producers who use it for irrigation.

This high concentration of nitrates is a concern because it exceeds the federal safe drinking water standards as the aquifer is used as a municipal water source for the communities of Vernon, Burkburnett and Electra, as well as some rural families, Sij said.

Texas AgriLife Research technician Kathryn Bachman conducts analysis of water samples from the Seymour Aquifer for nitrate concentration at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon, Texas. (Credit: Texas AgriLife Research photo by Dr. John Sij)

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