Stormwater Management

When it rains, do you know where rainwater from your property goes? Does it spread out and soak into the lawn or landscape beds to recharge soil moisture and benefit plants; or does it run off into the street and down a storm drain where it often transports pollutants to surface water?

Flood-soaked grain or hay is almost certain to be contaminated, making it unfit for use as food or feed.  This summary describes regulatory considerations and recommended actions for management of agricultural grains and forages deemed unusable for food or feed following flooding.

Join us on the 11th annual Omaha Green Infrastructure Tour! This year, we invite you to join us for a Maintenance and Management tour.  We will re-visit some of our most interesting tour stops from the past decade and explore the good, bad and ugly of maintaining and managing green infrastructure. Register at go.unl.edu/OmahaGreenInfrastructureTour

When planning gardens, people may think about pollinators and select plants to benefit them. Another trend is using rain gardens to catch and hold rainwater. Water and pollinator conservation are two goals achieved with rain gardens. Rain gardens reduce irrigation needs and can decrease the amount of rainwater running off of a property and carrying pollutants to surface water. Rainwater is a valuable resource. Consider collecting some of it with a rain garden that is filled with plants to benefit pollinators.

Join us on March 5, 2021 for the Nebraska Virtual Green Infrastructure Tour!  We will re-visit communities across Nebraska to higlight green infrastructure projects and programs, both large and small.

Join us on November 20, 2020 for the Nebraska Virtual Green Infrastructure Tour!  After 12 years of face-to-face green infrastructure tours, we will take a diversion this year and jump on the virtual tour bus!

Precipitation continued the trend of a general lack of moisture during the first month of fall. Our monthly statewide total came in at 27th driest and makes for the 12th driest three-month (July–September) period on record. At the start of October, nearly all of Nebraska is in a drought category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Portions of the northeast and southwest are in exceptional drought (D4). Temperatures averaged above normal for September and quite a few new daily high temperature records were set, most in the triple digits. The October outlook doesn’t appear to have much relief in sight with a higher-than-average probability of the warmth and dryness to continue. Given the dryness, fire danger will be high particularly on windy days.

Soil erosion and subsequent sediment delivered to streams and lakes is a serious water quality problem in Nebraska. Sedimentation of small reservoirs reduced flood-holding capacity. High nutrient runoff can lead to harmful algal blooms.

This year's conference will focus on innovative ways to improve water and food security by increasing farmers’ resiliency to a changing landscape.