Water News Archive

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.

Nebraska's abundant domestic water supply is generally taken for granted. However some situations can reduce the availability of safe drinking water, including tornadoes, floods, winter storms, or even earthquakes. Such disasters may interrupt the water supply for only a few hours or up to several days. In these situations an emergency water supply is helpful, if not essential.

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.

NebGuides

A collection of NebGuides developed by Nebraska Extension professionals on various drinking water topics.

UNL Extension drinking water presentation in Afghanistan

UNL Extension presents trainings for water well professionals as part of their CEU requirements. UNL Extension also conduces educational sessions at professional conferences and seminars. Extension also educates both urban and rural residents to increase understanding of good management of drinking water supplies. Nitrate, arsenic and uranium are identified as some of the top concerns for water supplies. These issues and more are the subjects of UNL Extension's educational efforts.

Girl getting a drink of water from the sink

Contaminants such as gases, minerals, bacteria, metals, and other chemicals suspended or dissolved in drinking water can affect your health and influence the quality of your water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established limits, or standards, on the concentration of certain drinking water contaminants allowed in public water supplies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Algae?

Algae are defined as simple rootless plants that grow in bodies of water relative to the amount of nutrients available.

Blue-Green Algae or Cyanobacteria:

Shoreline and streambank protection is critical to maintaining water quality in streams, rivers and lakes. Degraded shorelines around lakes and along stream banks increase the likelihood of pollutants such as sediments and nutrients reaching the water and contributing to decreased water quality. Implementing best management practices in and around lakes and along streams can greatly reduce water quality problems.

What is Toxic Blue-green Algae?

Author: Tadd M Barrow, formerly Water Quality Extension Educator, School of Natural Resources

NOTE: The Volunteering Monitoring Program referred to on slide 11 below (Flash application) has been discontinued, and Tadd Barrow is no longer with the University. Private lake testing is at the discretion and expense of the owner.

Pond Management Tool

A pond is a delicate aquatic ecosystem where multiple interactions affect one another. Knowing the surface area and volume of a pond is critical information to making proper pond management decisions about chemical dose, evaporation/filling rates, fish stocking rates, etc. Inaccurate measurements of area or volume can lead to ineffective aquatic plant management via under dosing, or worse, overdosing. Overdosing can remove too much plant biomass causing oxygen depletion and can potentially lead to fish kills.

Water News Archive

Efficient Indoor Water Use

Emergency Drinking Water Supply

Bottled Water

NebGuides

Professional trainings and public programs

Water Quality

Frequently Asked Questions

Shoreline, Streambank & Lake Restoration

What is Toxic Blue-green Algae?

Pond Management Tool