Water News Archive

Troubleshooting Septic Systems

Problems sometimes occur. Some of the problems that occur include: sluggish drainage, contaminated drinking water, wastewater surfacing in the yard, odors, and pipes freezing.

Furrow Irrigation

Advantages to furrow irrigation include lower initial investment of equipment and lower pumping costs per acre-inch of water pumped. Disadvantages include greater labor costs and lower application efficiency compared to sprinkler and subsurface drip irrigation. The number of furrow irrigated acres in Nebraska has decreased from 2.4 million to approximately 1.5 million acres in the past 10 years.

Small Farm Issues

Many of the manure management and environmental resources and publications are written for large livestock operations. Yet, most of the farming operations in the US are small. In Nebraska, for example, nearly 70% of all beef operations are less than 300 head and 90% are less than 1,000 head.

Bioretention Gardens

View examples of bioretention gardens in Nebraska.

Stormwater runoff and your well

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.

Drainfield Size & Design

An important soil characteristic, the percolation rate, measures how long it takes water to drop one inch in a saturated hole dug in soil. Fast: 1 inch in 3 minutes (sandy soil). Slow: 1 inch in 48 minutes (clay soil). If it takes less than 5 minutes for the water to drop 1 inch in a saturated hole, the effluent will move too rapidly to be treated properly, such as in sandy soil.

Wastewater Professional Training Opportunities

Training Opportunities 2020 Professional Development Hours Training ONLINE CLASSES APPROVED!

OFT Worksheet Version

Step-by-step instructions for using the worksheet version of the Odor Footprint Tool and an example completed worksheet are provided in the following documents.

Rain Gardens

You can reduce water runoff from your yard by planting a rain garden. A rain garden is a small depression planted to flowers and ornamental grasses. It is designed to temporarily hold and soak in rain water from a roof, driveway or open area. A rain garden is not a pond or wetland. It is dry most of the time and holds water after a rain. Water collected in the rain garden slowly soaks into the soil and disappears in less than 48 hours.

Landscape Management Practices

Aim downspouts towards planted areas or pervious hardscape and away from impervious paved areas. Collect rainwater from rooftops in rain barrels or cisterns for reuse in landscape irrigation. Amend soil with organic matter. Core aerate lawns to help avoid or reduce soil compaction, increase water infiltration, and promote healthy root systems. Follow University and label recommendations and calibrate spreaders when using fertilizers and pesticides. Only use these products when needed. Read and follow label directions for all lawn chemicals.

Sandpit Lake Basics – What is happening in the water?

The last “Sandpit Lake Basics” article talked about some of the basic features of sandpit lakes from the water source to the physical features of sandpit lakes. This article will focus on what is happening in the water of a sandpit lake – something called the limnological characteristics.

Modern Manure Management Video

Have you ever wondered how technology is being used in modern manure management? Find out with the University of Nebraska's "Modern Manure Management" Video.

Soil & Site Evaluation

The ability of soil to accept water or for water to travel through soil is called soil permeability. Percolation is the movement of water through soil. A soil percolation test is designed to measure the rate of water movement in saturated soil (mimicking conditions that soil treatment systems have) so that one can decide the appropriate type and size of treatment system.

Efficient Indoor Water Use

Most people in the U.S. use 60 to 100 gallons of water per person per day. See the following Nebraska Extension publications to learn how to use water most efficiently in your home.

Land Application Training Requirements

The NPDES permittee, authorized representative, or an employee of the operation shall complete a land application training program approved by the Department within 180 days of NPDES permit coverage unless such training was satisfactorily completed in the previous 5 years. Additional training is required every 5 years.

Stormwater

What is stormwater? It's water from rain or melting snow. Watch the video and learn about rain water runoff and why it can be a problem.

Residue Management

field photo showing results of runoff, crusting

The tilled plots in the foreground of this photo had considerable soil loss and runoff during intense spring rains. The tilled soil surface was susceptible to raindrop impact, causing erosion and surface crusting. The crop residue on the no-till plots in the background absorbed raindrop impact and allowed more water to infiltrate into the soil. With the improved soil structure, the crop is healthier in the no-till.

NAWMN Partners and Contacts

A full list of NAWMN Project contacts in Nebraska Extension as well as NAWMN Project partner contacts.

NDEQ Resources on Regulations

The NDEQ Web site provides numerous publications to assist producers with Title 130 compliance including annual report forms, applications and forms, fact sheets, guidance documents, and standard operating procedures.

Separate Turf and Ornamentals

Do you have trees growing right in the middle of your lawn? Do you swear under your breath every time you mow, having to trim around them and practice some fancy footwork trying to maneuver the mower around the trunk? If so, perhaps it's time to redesign your landscape, separating the grass and all of the other plants. If you are building a new home, or moving to one with little or no landscaping, you can avoid this maintenance nightmare by simply thinking of turf as a part of the landscape unto itself.