Hydraulic fracturing is a major process for oil and natural gas production in the United States, and sand mines in Western Wisconsin provide highly desirable sand for the fracturing industry. After being mined, sand is wet-sieved to isolate economical-size fractions. Polyacrylamide is used as a flocculant to settle out the fine particles, resulting in a silt and clay-rich byproduct referred to as waste fines. This waste fines material can be used as a soil amendment to augment the water-holding capacity of naturally sandy soils. Residual polyacrylamide degrades quickly in the environment, but the fate of the nitrogen in the polymer is largely unknown. To characterize the behavior of nitrogen in this waste fines substance, a column study was conducted. Columns were packed with waste fines and leached with 0, 1, and 10 mg L[superscript -1] NO[subscript 3] -N solutions. Results show significant leaching loss of NO[subscript 3 -N at 1 pore volume in each treatment with peak concentrations averaging 60 mg L[superscript -1], indicating the material is a source of NO[subscript 3]-N. After the peak at 1 PV the 1 and 10 mg L[superscript -1] columns had NO[subscript 3]-N concentrations lower than the input solutions, suggesting adsorption by the waste fines. Collectively, these results indicate the waste fines could be both a source and sink of NO[subscript 3]-N. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms of NO[subscript 3]-N behavior in this material.