From increased water bills to closed lakes to tainted drinking water, high nitrate levels are affecting thousands of Nebraskans. Nitrate can’t be seen or smelled, but it is in Nebraska’s groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for much of the state. Nitrate also contaminates surface water such as streams and lakes.
Join us on March 5, 2021 for the Nebraska Virtual Green Infrastructure Tour! We will re-visit communities across Nebraska to higlight green infrastructure projects and programs, both large and small.
Join us on November 20, 2020 for the Nebraska Virtual Green Infrastructure Tour! After 12 years of face-to-face green infrastructure tours, we will take a diversion this year and jump on the virtual tour bus!
In most of Nebraska, deep lakes will tend to stratify or form layers, especially during summer. This happens because the density of water changes as its temperature changes. During the summer, a temperature difference is established between the upper water and lower water in a lake. The upper layer of water, called the epilimnion, is warm. This layer is about as deep as the sun can penetrate. The deep layer of water, called the hypoliminion is made of cooler water.
Cover crops are a proven method for increasing soil health by reducing soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter, and improving soil structure. Cover crops also have the potential to positively impact water quality by reducing nitrate leaching and nutrient runoff. While cover crops are growing in popularity in Nebraska, there are significant planting challenges. To address these challenges, interseeding has been proposed as an alternative planting method to increase cover crop success.
In 2023, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB1014. This bill took 4 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act and allocated it to treating nitrate issues in Nebraska. 1.2 million dollars of that has been dedicated to a Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program that is directed at private well owners. The general idea of the program is that any individual private drinking water well owner can test their water AND if the nitrate concentration comes back above 10 ppm, they might be eligible for UP TO $4,000 support to get a reverse osmosis system to treat their nitrate.
