Drinking Water & Wells

Residential Water Use Drinking Water & Water Wells

Drinking Water & Wells

How much do you really know about the water you drink every day? Where does it come from? Is it safe to drink? Is a home water treatment system necessary? How can drinking water be protected? Explore this section for more detailed information that will help you answer questions or solve problems you may have.

Nebraska Water Facts

Nebraska means “flat water” from the Omaha Sioux “ni braska” and Oto “ni brathge”/ Nebraskier describing the Platte River. The Platte River was named by early French explorers, also meaning “flat.” The Panhandle is almost 6.5 times higher elevation than the Southeast. (5,424 ft above sea level versus 840 ft). Southeast NE receives 2.5 times as much annual precipitation as the Panhandle (average 33” versus 13”).

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Problematic Frozen Pipes Can be Prevented With Routine, Pre-Winter Maintenance

Winter is on its way which means it is time to assess and insulate the pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. Both plastic and copper pipes can freeze, and frozen water pipes affect folks who live in both cold and warmer climates. By conducting routine preventative maintenance, you can greatly reduce the risk of potentially expensive damage frozen water pipes can cause.

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Know Your Well program empowers students to understand local water quality

Access to quality water is critical. Testing can indicate whether water is safe for people to consume. Know Your Well is a program used to test well water across Nebraska at no cost to the community, while teaching local high school students valuable skills.

In the past seven years, Know Your Well has been implemented in more than 28 school districts throughout the state. The program has received funding to grow to 50 or more schools over the next few years and expand its curriculm.

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Using Water Resources More Efficiently

Nebraska is no stranger to dry spells, especially during the summer months. Unfortunately, we have been experiencing longer year-round dry spells in recent years that are becoming more severe to deal with. While using water more efficiently is always a good habit to adopt, it becomes more critical during times of drought, even if restrictions are not mandatory yet.

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Estimated Crop Water Use for June 5-11, 2023

Water droplets
Estimated Crop Water Use for June 5-11, 2023

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