District communities: are you concerned about water quality and human health impacts in your town? The NRD has programs to help you to protect the health of your citizens through improvements and protections for your water supply.

If you have questions about these or other programs, contact NRD Water Department Manager Terry Julesgard.

Wellhead Protection Area Assistance
The goal of Nebraska’s Wellhead Protection Program is to protect the land and groundwater surrounding public drinking water supply wells from contamination. Since approximately 85 percent of Nebraskans receive their drinking water from groundwater, preventing contamination is vital. Having a designated Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA) allows a community to have access to additional funding from the NRD as well as state and federal funding for their water system. The Nebraska Legislature passed LB 1161 in 1998 (Neb. Rev. Stat. §46-1501 – 46-1509), authorizing the Wellhead Protection Area Act. This act sets up a process for public water supply systems to use if they choose to implement a local Wellhead Protection plan. The Nebraska Department of Environment & Energy (NDEE) is the lead agency for Wellhead Protection Area plan approval. The Wellhead Protection planning process includes identifying the land surrounding the public water supply wells to be protected, identifying potential sources of groundwater contamination within this area, and managing the potential contaminant sources. Emergency, contingency, and long-term plans are also developed for the community water supply, all the while educating and involving the public.

If your community would like to designate a Wellhead Protection Area, the NRD can help you get started. NRD staff can provide guidance and assistance by gathering, interpreting, and delivering the technical information required for WHPA activities.

Municipal Water Quality Assistance Program
This program provides financial assistance to communities for improvements in their water system to mitigate the impacts of non-point source groundwater contamination for the protection and public health of the community’s residents. The reasons for system improvements must be related to the impacts of contamination from pollution sources which are non-point in nature (like nitrate contamination from nitrogen fertilizer over-application through the years), not from point source contamination (like a leaking lagoon at a livestock operation).  

Who’s eligible? Incorporated cities and villages whose wellhead protection area lies, all or in part, in the district and who have an approved Wellhead Protection or Drinking Water Protection Plan. A community must be facing present or imminent threat of the water supply from non-point pollution and making plans for infrastructure modifications to continue to provide clean, potable water to their residents.