Drinking Water & Wells

Residential Water Use Drinking Water & Water Wells

Drinking Water & Wells

How much do you really know about the water you drink every day? Where does it come from? Is it safe to drink? Is a home water treatment system necessary? How can drinking water be protected? Explore this section for more detailed information that will help you answer questions or solve problems you may have.

No Matter Where You Live, Submit a Request Before You Dig!

Image credit: Nebraska 811

Spring is here and that often means its time start outdoor projects. Whether you are spading in new trees, putting in a koi pond or other excavated landscape features, drilling a new well, or installing a new onsite wastewater system, you want to make sure a ‘Locate Request’ has been submitted to Nebraska811 before digging.

Nebraska811 is the statewide one-call notification center, set up by Nebraska state law. It is the link between people who want to excavate and the underground facility owners/operators.

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Using technology to monitor water on the ranch

cattle at a water tank
Producers who are looking to minimize time spent checking water may consider investing in one of many modern water monitoring solutions.

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100 years of Nebraska nitrogen

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient but increasingly found in our water. Here is a brief history:

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Facts Related to Drinking Water

PFAS are forever chemicals. Old landfills, industrial sites, firefighting foam, and wastewater treatment discharge are just some of the ways PFAS can contaminate the environment. It then ends up in our groundwater and surface water resources and soils which impacts the water we drink, and the fish and food grown that we eat. It is important to understand how PFAS chemicals move through the environment in order to address the problem of PFAS pollution. Image credit: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

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Nebraska Water Facts

Nebraska means “flat water” from the Omaha Sioux “ni braska” and Oto “ni brathge”/ Nebraskier describing the Platte River. The Platte River was named by early French explorers, also meaning “flat.” The Panhandle is almost 6.5 times higher elevation than the Southeast. (5,424 ft above sea level versus 840 ft). Southeast NE receives 2.5 times as much annual precipitation as the Panhandle (average 33” versus 13”).

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