Nebraska Takes on Nitrate Challenges

By: Duane Craig

Farmers and residents in the area of York, Nebraska met recently to discuss the elevating levels of nitrates being found in groundwater, according to this report. To date, 17 communities have had one or more administrative orders on their municipal water supplies for elevated nitrate levels. Nitrate levels in large areas of Nebraska exceed the 10 ppm threshold. Not only that, levels are continuing to escalate.

Elevating levels of nitrates have been expected for at least a decade, even with drastic reductions in the amount of nitrogen that farmers are using to grow crops. That’s because decades of extremely heavy fertilizer applications have loaded the soils with nitrates that continue to work their way into water supplies. Besides being more specific in the timing of nitrogen applications, changes to existing rules would trigger new management levels at increasingly lower nitrate levels. Some of the public water supplies being affected include those of York, Seward, Utica, Polk, Osceola, Gresham, Henderson, Exeter and nine others.

Nebraska Residents Can't Drink the Water

May 3, 2010 - For the last two years, residents on the west end of Merrick County have been afraid to drink their water. "It just makes your skin crawl," said resident Rachel Evans.

In April 2008, those residents learned that their well water had been contaminated with a chemical that could cause cancer. "Tetrachloroethelyne or some people call it Perc or Percholoethylene. It all depends on who you are talking to," said Sue Dempsey, Health and Human Services.

"What caused the contamination?" said resident Jerry Schenck. According to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality the Nebraska Solvent Company operated at this location in the 70s and stockpiled PCE during its operation.

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Pollution an enduring legacy at old ICBM sites

October 10, 2009 - As U.S. Air Force officials marked the 50th anniversary of the deployment of nuclear missiles to sites in the rural United States this past week, residents in some of these communities are still grappling with another legacy — groundwater pollution from chemicals used to clean and maintain the weapons.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is identifying and cleaning up dozens of former nuclear missile sites in nine states.

he ICBM sites include 14 in Kansas, 10 in Nebraska, seven in Wyoming, seven in Colorado and two in Oklahoma. California, New Mexico, New York and Texas have one contaminated ICBM site each.

TCE may have polluted many more missile sites than the corps is aware.

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Community in Nebraska Deals with Nitrate in Drinking Water

September 10 - Residents of a peaceful place where children play tucked away in Sarpy County can't drink the water. That's the order the state slapped on the owner of the Sands Mobile Home Park after toxic levels of nitrate were found in the drinking water. Nitrate at unsafe levels can cause serious illness and even death in babies under the age of six months.

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Merrick County, Nebraska residents frustrated with water pollution cleanup inaction

August 13, 2008 - As officials from the state Department of Environmental Quality met with the Merrick County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, a handful of frustrated residents took the opportunity to fire at both groups.

First, they asked DEQ officials several pointed questions about the contaminated groundwater from the former Nebraska Solvents Co. site northeast of Grand Island.

Then they unloaded on the county board through a livid letter signed by 25 property owners.

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Solvents detected in private wells in Nebraska

April 30, 2008 - About 25 percent of the private drinking water wells tested recently in and around the Baker Subdivision east of Grand Island showed contamination above the safe drinking water standard.

The highest levels of contamination were found just east of Gunbarrel Road and around McMartin Avenue, said Brenda Mainwaring, director of public affairs for Union Pacific Railroad.A total of 109 wells were tested. Results were released Wednesday.

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Residents struggle with contamination issues for longer than they can remember in Grand Island Nebraska

October 12, 2007 - A delivery man drops off bottled water to a contaminated neighborhood, while a plumber works on a house next door. A newly installed city water main brings clean water to an area that's been plagued by pollution.

Grand Island Utilities Director Gary Mader said, "There's random sampling of residential private wells in the area, many of which were affected by contamination."

It's been a problem longer than Mader can keep track.

"I can never remember the years either," he said.

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Grand Island Nebraska Grapples with Superfund Plume

July 20, 2007 - Members of the public were most concerned with vapors from contaminated soil and groundwater leaking into their homes via basement flooding.

Curtis said the contaminants found in air or water in homes haven't been at high levels. He said this is probably because the chemicals are heavier than water and have sunk to the bottom of the water table, no less than 40 feet below the surface.

Curtis suggested that people worried about vapor intrusion can install barriers and fan systems in homes.

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