Water News Archive

Moss in Lawns and Landscapes

In your lawn is overly shaded and/or has poor drainage, moss may be a problem.  Moss is a fast growing, shallow rooted plant that covers the ground, smothers grass and exhausts food reserves from the soil. When moss appears in a lawn, it is usually because growing conditions for turfgrasses and landscape plants are adverse, usually too little light and air circulation.  Other conditions favorable for moss invasion include soil with poor aeration and percolation, compaction, low fertility and high acidity or alkalinity.

Aquatic Plant Control

Managing aquatic plants in a pond or lake can be like walking a tight rope, especially in shallow lakes.  When lakes receive excess nutrients, primarily phosphorus in Nebraska, the result can be a dense growth of aquatic plants.  But when too many aquatic plants are removed, water clarity and algae problems may follow.

Utilization of Woody Biomass as an Agronomic Land Treatment and Conservation Practice in the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District Long Pine Creek Watershed

A value-added market for woody biomass (wood chips) generated during management of Eastern Red Cedar and native trees in riparian forests and rangeland is critical to offset the cost to landowners of managing forested areas for fire prevention, invasive plant species control, improving wildlife habitat and ecological preservation. Utilization of wood chips alone and co-mingled with livestock manure or nitrogen fertilizer is being investigated (since 2015) as a land treatment practice on local landowner crop fields with research focused on evaluating impacts on soil moisture holding capacity, temperature, biology, & other properties that impact crop productivity.

Value of Using Sensors to Manage Irrigation and Tips for Proper Installation

Use ET Gages and soil moisture sensors to help manage your irrigation this season.

Abandoned swine lagoons and earthen storage basins may contain valuable nutrients

When a swine lagoon is abandoned, the owner has the choice of decommissioning the lagoon or maintaining the integrity of the lagoon. Decommissioning means dewatering the lagoon and land applying the sludge at the bottom. One cannot just fill in the hole. The process of removing the water and the sludge is time consuming and takes resources and planning to complete properly. One aspect of the process does have some cost recovery and that is utilizing the sludge in a beneficial way.

Is Your Irrigation System Ready For the Season?

Simple checks you can preform on your center pivots to make sure they are ready for the irrigation season.

Nebraska Weather and Your Water Supply

Nebraska weather is anything but stable and predictable. February reiterated that point to us as we saw record numbers of days with highs in the 70s, our first thunder of 2017 followed by up to two feet of snow in some parts of the state. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are most common during May, June and July but they can occur at any time and are increasingly common as warm air patterns begin to dominate during the spring months.

Finding Win/Win Opportunities for Manure

This article is Part 1 of a two-part discussion on the value of manure. Part 2 focuses on soil quality benefits provided by manure and appeared in the March 6, 2017 CropWatch.

Pesticide Safety

Pesticides are a commonly used method of managing pests in our landscapes. However, pesticides are poisons, so they need to be handled carefully. With spring here and summer coming right around the corner, it is a good time to reinforce those safety precautions to everyone who might be using pesticides. 

2017 Sandpit Lake Management Workshops

Nebraska Extension, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, and Game and Parks again have partnered to offer a series of pond and lake management introductory workshops.  These workshops are free and open to everyone who makes decisions for and about lakes and ponds or anyone who wants to learn more about protecting them.  If you’ve ever had an algae bloom, fish kill, murky water, or just want to know what’s going on in the lake, this workshop is for you.  All 2017 workshops are focused on sandpit lakes.

2017 Spring Stormwater Symposium

The 2017 Spring Stormwater Symposium brought together professionals from both public and private sectors to learn from local, regional and national experts. The symposium will focused on examples of stormwater program funding and management, and took an in-depth look into the life cycle of a successful stormwater management project.

Land Use & Management Practices to Enhance Water Quality

Training for Extension professionals, educators and technical service providers to conduct programs and course work on nutrient and manure management and land use within riparian ecosystems.

Septic Tank Design

A septic tank must be watertight. The wastewater has not been fully treated, so it must be contained and prevented from escaping into the environment. Septic tanks can be made of concrete, concrete blocks, fiber-reinforced plastic, high-density plastic or fiberglass.

Drinking Water Treatment

A variety of water treatment processes are available to the homeowner, differing in the types of chemicals removed, location within the home, and operating and maintenance requirements.

Odor Footprint Tool

The Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) estimates the frequency of annoying odor events around an existing or proposed livestock facility and uses this information to determine minimum separation distances that should be maintained around those facilities and to help in siting decisions.

Permeable Pavers

Permeable pavers let water pass through the spaces between them which are often filled with small gravel or sand.

Soil Management for Water Conservation

Improved water infiltration, less runoff and reduced evaporative losses in no-till systems can save from 5 to 12 inches per year, making more water available for crop production. The tilled grain sorghum on the right yielded only 61 bu/A in a dry year while the no-till on the left yielded about 121 bu/A.

Related Links

NDEQ Onsite Information List of Nebraska Certified Professionals Septic Smart H2OandM Soil surveys Water Environment Federation

Bottled Water

An increasing number of Nebraskans are using bottled water or vended water as their primary source of drinking water. When choosing between bottled, tap, and vended water, consider that each has advantages and disadvantages.

Mortality Composting

Mortalities are an unfortunate reality for livestock operations. Whether they’re caused by disease or natural disaster, losses of livestock do occur and these mortalities must be managed responsibly. The state of Nebraska allows for disposal of dead animals via several methods including burial, rendering, incineration, composting, and landfilling.