Watersheds

Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is the land area that contributes water to a location, usually a stream, pond, lake or river. Everything that we do on the surface of our watershed impacts the water quality of our streams, wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers. What happens in one locality affects other downstream areas.

Friday May 5, 2023

Major Nebraska Rivers and Their Drainages: Part 2

Nebraska River
Part 2 of a six-part series that will cover the major rivers and their respective drainages found in Nebraska, with some geography and history about Nebraska’s rivers.
Friday June 2, 2023

Major Nebraska Rivers and Their Drainages: Part 4

Republican River drainage system
Featuring the Republican River, which holds the record for the worst flood in Nebraska history.
Friday February 2, 2024

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”).
Thursday April 3, 2025

100 years of Nebraska nitrogen

timeline of Nebraska nitrogen changes
Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient but increasingly found in our water. Here is a brief history:
Monday August 26, 2024

Full Soil Water Profile Encouraged to Finish Crops Before Harvest

A sunflower field blooming in Box Butte County. (Photo by CHabella Guzman)
As surface/canal water usually curtails mid-September, extension recommends that Nebraska Panhandle producers ensure their soil water profiles are full to sustain crops through to harvest.

Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is the land area that contributes water to a location, usually a stream, pond, lake or river. Everything that we do on the surface of our watershed impacts the water quality of our streams, wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers. What happens in one locality affects other downstream areas.