It was a windy and warm day for outdoor learning as elementary students from Centennial Public Schools and St. Paul Lutheran School in Utica gathered for a Farm Safety Day, organized by the local FFA chapter on September 28. Staff from the Upper Big Blue NRD were on hand to teach a lesson on water quality, reminding students that if they live on a farm or acreage, it's important to test their domestic well water annually for nitrates and bacteria.

Water resources technicians Erin Lee and Jaden Groff explained the importance of healthy drinking water to students, then led them through a water testing experiment using the at-home water test kits that are available for free to district residents. (To request a test kit, email info@upperbigblue.org or call 402-362-6601.)

The water being tested came from students and staff at Centennial Public Schools and ranged from reverse osmosis treated water from a home in York County to pond water collected in Seward County and many sources in between. Students were impressed to see the color changing test strips working and to note that you couldn't tell by looking or smelling the different samples of water which would be high in nitrates. 

District residents who are concerned about their water quality should have their water tested at the NRD. If the nitrate level is above 10 parts per million, they are eligible to receive funding for a reverse osmosis treatment system from the NRD or from the State of Nebraska. 

Resources:

• Point of Use Reverse Osmosis Pilot Program
• Free water quality test kits offered to rural residents
• Water testing program offered at the Upper Big Blue NRD
• Pediatric Cancer Study Looks for Possible Link to Common Water Contaminants

• New study explores common water quality impairments linked to negative birth outcomes in Nebraska