To ensure safe and sanitary conditions, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), through the Environmental Safety Program, completes more than 2,750 inspections of public pools, camps, parks, schools, and child and senior care centers each year. A group of seven environmental health specialists, located throughout the state, is tasked with maintaining this comprehensive inspection schedule.

Nearly 700 of those annual inspections are for public pools where the program checks water chemistry, safety equipment, personnel training, and mechanical areas for compliance with Title 178-2.

The program also performs approximately 1,500 food inspections for schools, colleges, senior centers, and childcare establishments. Food inspections at schools are conducted twice annually. During these inspections, time and temperature control methods, contamination prevention processes, chemical storage and identification practices, and cleanliness and sanitation of facilities and equipment are all evaluated.

More than 300 mobile home parks and 75 recreational camp sites also fall under the NDEE inspection umbrella. Those inspections ensure, among other requirements, that those facilities have adequate access to safe and potable water. The storage, collection, and disposal of garbage is also evaluated to prevent unsanitary conditions, rodent harborages, insect breeding areas, and potential fire hazards.

For recreational camps specifically, the Environmental Safety Program also examines the structural integrity of buildings, the sanitary conditions of lavatory and bathing facilities, sleeping quarters, kitchens and food safety measures, and camp safety protocols as outlined in Title 178-1.

Finally, the program conducts evaluations of domestic water supplies and on-site wastewater treatment systems at the request of homeowners, purchasers, or mortgage lending institutions. During those evaluations, the water well and/or the on-site wastewater treatment system is inspected, and samples are collected to test for bacteria or nitrates.