Water Quality

National Drinking Water Week is held in May each year to bring attention to important water quantity and quality issues and their relationship to drinking water supplies.  The attention to drinking water during that week provides an opportunity to learn more water resources in general and also serves a reminder to think about where your water comes from.

Protecting the quality and safety of your water supply means protecting your well and the area surrounding it by not storing hazardous materials including fuel, metals and chemicals near the well, keeping livestock including horses away, and limiting applications of lawn chemicals immediately around the well. However, to protect your water supply you need to look beyond the area immediately around your well.

Discolored water. A strange odor. Stained ceramic fixtures such as tubs, sinks and toilets. Discolored clothes, towels and dishes. Reduced water pressure.  These are all some of the potential impacts from high levels of iron and manganese in your water supply. 

National Septic Smart week is Sept. 17–21, 2018. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a week in September each year to focus on improved awareness of proper operation and maintenance of septic systems across the U.S.  The wastewater of approximately 25 percent of the population of the U.S. is treated by on-site or individual wastewater systems. In Nebraska, that statistic holds consistent with approximately 25 percent of our state’s population served by onsite wastewater systems on farms, acreages, suburbs and even some small communities.

The City of Auburn, population 3,000, is located in southeast Nebraska, near the Little Nemaha River, approximately seven miles upstream of its confluence with the Missouri River. The City receives its drinking water from a wellfield located east of the community within an alluvial aquifer along the Little Nemaha River. The wellfield consists of 11 vertical wells averaging 45 to 50 feet below the ground's surface, pumping up to 150 million gallons per year.

Have you ever wondered why groundwater nitrate maps show so much variation across Nebraska? Or why wells near to your own tested well have such different nitrate levels? The answer has three parts. Nitrate in groundwater varies from place to place because of differences in:

Nitrogen (N) budgeting, where accounting principles are applied to measured quantities of individual N sources, is one tool for understanding how long-term fertilizer-N use and irrigation contributes to nitrogen leaching. Here, we explore this tool by going through commonly-used conversions and calculations for N supply and nitrate-N leaching to account for changes in aquifer nitrogen contamination.

Warmer weather is here and our precipitation has changed from snow to rain, though snow melt also creates stormwater runoff. The next time it rains, go outside and notice how the rainwater moves from roof areas and gutters, driveways, walkways, and other concrete or asphalt surfaces. Make sure this water is not flowing toward your private drinking water well.

Historical and current water quality monitoring shows that nitrate is present in groundwater throughout much of Nebraska. It is when results are at or above the 10mg/L Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) that hazardous health effects become a concern among humans and animals. Nitrate is colorless, odorless, and tasteless and the only way it can be detected in drinking water is through submitting a sample for laboratory testing.  Where Does Nitrate Come From and What is Nitrification?

In Nebraska, 85% of our citizens rely on drinking water pumped from the ground. When a community's public drinking water supply is affected by high nitrate levels that exceed 10 ppm, it can cost hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars to fix.

Caption:  A simple overview of how the water softening process works. As hard water enters the water softener, it filters through a resin that is supersaturated with a sodium (Na) brine. The calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the hard water attach to the resin beads and are exchanged for sodium (Na), thus making soft water for use throughout the home. Over time, the exchange resin becomes saturated with Ca and Mg and has to be regenerated with the Na brine solution so an effective water softening process can continue. (Graphic by Nebraska Extension)

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a problem currently within public surface water bodies and will continue to challenge animal agriculture. AMR can impair our ability to use antibiotics to fight infections and other ailments. Antimicrobials make their way to our water primarily by ways of industrial waste, manure application, and aquaculture. Using responsible manure spreading practices, runoff prevention, spreading awareness, and partnering with your veterinarian for responsibly using antimicrobials can help aid in the solution.