NRD provides funds for properly decommissioning inactive wells

Water wells are tremendous tools. Their flows irrigate thirsty crops and livestock. They supply families with water for drinking, washing, and more. But what happens when a well no longer serves a need – like forgotten wells where homesteads once stood – or farm and livestock wells left obsolete after farm management changes or when land changes hands?

There are hundreds of these inactive wells across the district—and there may be one on your property. Each one provides a direct passageway for pollution to reach groundwater aquifers. Contaminants from the surface such as fertilizer, animal wastes, or agricultural chemicals can travel through the unsealed well to the aquifer. Improperly decommissioned wells pose a potential groundwater quality and public safety risk.

Nebraska law requires landowners to hire a licensed contractor to properly decommission wells. The process of plugging a well requires a series of well-planned steps. Simply dumping fill material into the well is not the way to do it! The well needs to be properly sealed to avoid potential contamination.

The Upper Big Blue NRD has a cost-share assistance program for landowners to make it affordable to have a well properly decommissioned. The program provides 60 percent cost-share, up to $1,000, for the process. A licensed well decommissioning firm must do the work and decommissioning must be in accordance with Nebraska Department of Health regulations.

For more information on well abandonment or an application for cost-share assistance, contact the NRD at 402-362-6601.