Agri-Environmental Indicator – Risk of Water Contamination by Nitrogen

The Indicator of Risk of Water Contamination by nitrogen (IROWC-N) estimates the risk of water contamination by nitrogen leaching on agricultural lands in Canada from 1981 to 2021. High nitrate level ( > 10 mg N/L) in drinking water may lead to various health impacts including methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. High nitrate levels in surface waters can also contribute to algal growth and eutrophication.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 19:48 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 19:48 (UTC)
contact_email	aafc.agri-geomatics-agrogeomatiques.aac@agr.gc.ca
contact_person	{"en": "Government of Canada; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada;Science and Technology Branch,,aafc.agri-geomatics-agrogeomatiques.aac@agr.gc.ca", "fr": "Gouvernement du Canada; Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada;direction générale des sciences et de la technologie,aafc.agri-geomatics-agrogeomatiques.aac@agr.gc.ca"}
criticality_level	[]
data_dictionary	EPSG:3857,http://www.epsg.org/,8.3.4
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	fgp
open_canada_date_published	2021-07-21 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"en": ["Climate indicators", "AEI", "Earth sciences", "Environment"], "fr": ["Indices de conditions météorologiques extrêmes", "IAE", "Sciences de la terre", "Environnement"]}
open_canada_subject	["nature_and_environment", "science_and_technology"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Indicateur agroenvironnemental – Risque de contamination de l’eau par l’azote
update_frequency	as_needed