National Groundwater Awareness Week is March 9–15, making it the perfect time to talk about groundwater in Nebraska! What exactly is groundwater? It is the water below the earth’s surface that fills the interconnected voids and cracks in and around soil particles, sand, gravel and rock — all of this is what we call an aquifer. Groundwater is the most abundant supply of freshwater in the world and is the water source that private drinking water, irrigation, livestock and many public water-supply wells draw from.

Approximately 85% of Nebraskans rely on groundwater for their drinking water. There are currently 594 community water supply systems in Nebraska that serve over 1.64 million residents; this accounts for approximately 80% of Nebraska’s population. To protect public health, these public water systems have to test for over 80 different contaminants in accordance with the Nebraska Safe Drinking Water Act.

Throughout rural Nebraska, approximately 360,000 residents (about 20% of Nebraskans) rely on private groundwater wells as their drinking water source, but there are no mandatory testing requirements for private wells. In addition to consumption, groundwater is used in manufacturing and mining, power generation, irrigation, and heating and cooling of homes and businesses. Irrigation accounts for the largest use of groundwater in Nebraska and the United States.

Protection and conservation practices are critical for all of us to engage in so our groundwater resources are available and safe to consume for future generations.

WAYS TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE GROUNDWATER
• Water wisely by operating your lawn irrigation system manually, instead of using a preset schedule. Check soil moisture levels with a screwdriver by pushing it into the top 8–10 inches. When soil becomes dry, it will be more difficult to push the screwdriver into the soil. Only water when soil moisture levels indicate a need. Deep, infrequent irrigation, preferably between the 6 a.m.–10 a.m. timeframe is recommended to conserve soil moisture and increase turf health.

• Go native by using native or well-adapted plants and turf throughout your landscape. They are drought tolerant and require less watering than poorly adapted introduced species. Their deep root systems help prevent soil erosion, become part of the earth’s natural filtration system and increase soil’s water storage capacity. They require little to no fertilization or pest control, thus decreasing contamination runoff.

• Check for, fix or replace any leaky indoor or outdoor water fixtures such as faucets/hydrants, shower heads or continuously running toilets. When replacing, consider new low-water usage fixtures and appliances.

• Take quicker showers, 5 minutes or less. Lessen wasted water going down the drain by turning off the water while brushing teeth, washing hands/face, shaving or washing dishes.

• Combine smaller loads of laundry and dishes into one larger, full load.

• Avoid using synthetic chemical cleaners that can contaminate groundwater if used or disposed of improperly. Instead, use natural cleaning products such as baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.

• To minimize groundwater contamination, store and dispose of unused chemicals and medicines safely and properly. Visit http://nebraskameds.org for information on the disposal of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications.

• Learn how to properly maintain your private well and residential onsite wastewater systems to help minimize groundwater contamination.

• Properly decommission abandoned wells so they are not conduits for aquifer contamination.

YOUR ACTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE; ALWAYS BE WILLING TO LEARN AND IMPLEMENT!
Putting these actions into practice not only helps protect our groundwater resources but can also equate to a significant impact in water usage. Water conservation can potentially reduce your water bill if you are connected to a public water system or your power bill if you have a private well.

By continuing to learn and implementing more effective practices, we can all become better groundwater stewards, helping to ensure future generations have healthy groundwater resources for years to come.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
The UNL Water website has resources on residential water use at https://water.unl.edu/residential-water-use.