Lakes, Ponds & Streams

Surface Water Lakes, Ponds & Streams

Lakes, Ponds & Streams

Water quality protection practices properly implemented on the landscape can reduce or eliminate overland runoff water. Pollutants associated with that runoff water will enter lakes, ponds and streams.

Mullen and Cameron Peak Wildfires and Their Potential Effect on Nebraska Ag

Burn area from the Mullen fire along Wyoming Hwy 230. Photo by Gary Stone.
The Upper North Platte River watershed headwaters is located in north-central Colorado, close to Walden, CO. The Sierra Madre mountain range is on the west side of the headwaters and the Snowy Range mountain range is on the east side. Snowmelt from both of these mountain ranges together contribute approximately 75 percent of the water flow in the North Platte River. The fires’ effect on water supplies in the coming years will depend on the amount of snow fall and snowpack received in the watershed during the winter and early spring. There may be slightly higher incidences of sediment runoff in isolated areas where there is little or no ground cover due to the fire.

Read More

Nitrate in Nebraska

From increased water bills to closed lakes to tainted drinking water, high nitrate levels are affecting thousands of Nebraskans. Nitrate can’t be seen or smelled, but it is in Nebraska’s groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for much of the state. Nitrate also contaminates surface water such as streams and lakes. 

Read More

Understanding Bacteria in Lakes

Bacteria Analysis

A dip in the lake can be refreshing, but it’s important to consider what’s going on in the water that you may not see – especially for E. coli bacteria.

Identifying an E.coli issue

It’s fairly easy to see Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and algae at a lake.  Unfortunately, the same visual assessment does not apply to E. coli.  However, there are three indicators of E. coli in a lake to consider:

Read More

Understanding the New Health Standard for Nebraska Public Beaches - HABs

a beach

Heading to the Beaches of Nebraska!

It’s amazing how much people are drawn to water.  With this recent hot spell, it’s time for us to head to the beaches of Nebraska! Fifty four of Nebraska’s most popular public beaches are monitored weekly from May through September for E. coli and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). 

Read More

Proactive Drinking Water Management for a Unique Water System

Little Nemaha River

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.

Read More

Sign up for updates from UNL Water

Sign Up Here