HARTINGTON — LCNRD will continue collecting irrigation and domestic well water quality samples during the irrigation season. In the coming years, LCNRD will be collecting samples on a planned 5-year cycle. Initial letters are sent to inform landowners of the scheduled sampling, and once the samples are tabulated, the results will be provided to them. Samples are collected from two primary sources, irrigation wells and domestic or stock wells.
Irrigation Well Owners
Knowing the concentration of nitrate in irrigation water is important to account for credits when applying nitrogen fertilizer to growing crops while helping minimize impacts to profitability and protecting groundwater resources. The most common source for nitrates in Nebraska’s groundwater is from organic and inorganic fertilizer that leaches past the root zone of growing plants, where it can no longer be taken up by the plant.
Samples will be collected during regular irrigation season, from a leak or sprinkler if no faucet is available. If a faucet is needed, one will be left at the well to be installed. If you prefer not to have your well(s) sampled or prefer to collect the sample yourself, contact LCNRD at 402-254-6758. Landowners will be provided the well registration details, legal description, and nitrate concentration. Supporting information about nitrate will also be provided.
Domestic Well Owners
Knowing the concentration of nitrate in domestic water is essential for your health. Nitrate in drinking water is an immediate concern for pregnant women, nursing mothers, children under the age of one year, and other individuals, including those with digestive and/or immune system concerns. If you use a private domestic well as a drinking source, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) recommends annual testing for nitrate and bacteria. If you would like to have a domestic well sampled, call to arrange a time for access to the well or collect a sample in a clean, glass container, keep it cold, and deliver it to LCNRD at 608 N. Robinson Ave, Hartington. If you would like to sample for bacteria a specific sampling bottle is needed, and criteria must be followed. Completing a more comprehensive drinking water suitability test for other groundwater parameters is also recommended, which provides additional information about what is present in the groundwater source. Test kits are available at the LCNRD office for $82.50.
Summary
Residents will receive nitrate results for wells, information about potential health impacts related to nitrate levels that exceed the EPA-established maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ppm, and landowners, residents, and producers will receive information about accounting for nitrate in irrigation water when planning for fertilizer applications.
If you have any questions or concerns about water quality sampling or water quality, contact the LCNRD at 402-254-6758 or [email protected].