Water News Archive

Friday, September 1, 2017

September is National SepticSmart Week

This year’s National SepticSmart Week is September 18-22, 2017. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a week in September each year to focus on improved awareness of proper operation and maintenance of septic systems across the United States. The wastewater of approximately 25 percent of the population of the United States is treated by on-site or individual wastewater systems. In Nebraska, this statistic holds consistent with 25 percent of our state’s population being served by onsite wastewater systems on farms, acreages, suburbs and even some small communities.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Predicting Late-Season Irrigation Needs

Center pivot irrigating late season corn

The 2017 growing season started with warm dry planting conditions, followed by significant rain delays in May in many parts of the state, and a summer of intermittent weeks of hot and cool temperatures. The net result is that crops may mature over a longer period than usual this fall. Fortunately, the following procedure for making end-of-season irrigation decisions is based on crop maturity stage rather than the calendar.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Turf Care Under the Hot Sun

Following are effective strategies for managing lawns during periods of hot and dry weather:

1. Learn to recognize wilting in turf plants. It is relatively easy to recognize wilting on a houseplant. The leaves droop and the stem may wither, and the whole plant may have a “dull” appearance. Because turf plants are much smaller and thinner than houseplants, it is much more difficult to recognize drought stress in turf plants.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Siting Animal Facilities to Reduce Neighbor Nuisance

Wind direction and speed affect dust and odor risk. A first step in assessing and minimizing potential dust and odor nuisance risk of a livestock operation is identifying the most likely downwind directions. This article will share wind frequency data for 44 Nebraska locations to consider siting options for reducing these nuisances.

Monday, July 31, 2017

2017 Omaha Stormwater Management Tour

Join us, as we tour some of the newest stormwater management projects in Omaha and re-visit established green infrastructure projects. Six of this year’s tour stops are new to the tour! Criteria for tour stop selection included ensuring a variety of consultants, various project scales, various management practices, and availability of tour guides.

Tour stops will include:

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Water conservation in the hot summer months

Water use inside and outside the home can increase significantly both inside and outside the home during the summer. Learn some easy conservation measures that can result in saving water, energy and money.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Sprinkler Irrigation System Maintenance for Improved Uniformity and Application Efficiency

Center pivot irrigation systems are designed and managed to apply water as uniformly as possible to enhance crop production. Uniformity has a direct effect on the system’s overall application efficiency, which is a measure of how well an irrigation system delivers water to a crop’s root zone.

Friday, July 14, 2017

Manure and Soil Health Presentations Bring Experts, Give Voice to Wondering Minds

Farmers and ranchers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of soil quality/health to the productivity and sustainability of their agricultural system. Research and field observations have demonstrated that carefully managed manure applications can contribute to improved soil quality with limited environmental and social risks. However, a comprehensive assemblage of outputs and conclusions from research studies, field trials, soil labs databases, and other sources has never been developed.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Is Manure a Fertility Option for Wheat?

spreading liquid manure in wheat with a toolbar

With ground opening up for manure application following wheat harvest, this is a good time to ask about the fit for manure with wheat? There are some good opportunities to use manure following wheat harvest.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

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.