A health alert for toxic blue-green algae has been issued for Swan Creek Lake 5A in Saline County. An alert also continues for Willow Creek Lake in Pierce County.

July 31, 2014 -- Nebraska's 2014 Ambient Air Monitoring Network Plan is available for public comment. The Network Plan was developed to comply with Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 58.10.

The Network Plan describes the existing ambient air monitoring network in Nebraska and sets forth planned changes through 2015. It also contains information on Nebraska’s air quality. During the 30-day public comment period, written comments regarding this Network Plan may be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) at the mail or email addresses below.

The artwork of 13 Nebraska students will be featured in the 2015 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It!” environmental calendar. The statewide contest is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and focuses on the importance of waste reduction, recycling and litter cleanup.

A health alert for toxic blue-green algae has been issued for Iron Horse Lake in Pawnee County and Willow Creek Lake 5A in Pierce County. An alert also continues for Swan Creek Lake 5A in Saline County.

A health alert for toxic blue-green algae has been issued for Bluestem Lake in Lancaster County and Oliver Lake in Kimball County. Alerts also continue for Iron Horse Lake in Pawnee County, Willow Creek Lake 5A in Pierce County and Swan Creek Lake 5A in Saline County.

Health alerts for toxic blue-green algae are currently in effect at five lakes in Nebraska. Alerts have been issued for Big Indian Creek Lake in Gage County and Kirkman’s Cove in Richardson County. Alerts continue at Bluestem Lake in Lancaster County, Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County, and Willow Creek Lake in Pierce County. The alerts for Oliver Lake in Kimball County and Swan Creek Lake 5A in Saline County have ended.

Sept. 5, 2014 -- If you are an animal producer, you may need to request an initial inspection from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to determine if a Livestock Waste Control Facility is needed at your operation. Some questions that every animal producer should ask:

Is my operation an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO)? If so, what size category?
There are two requirements for an operation to be considered an AFO:

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will be coordinating the annual meeting of the Nebraska Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., and will be hosted at Duo Lift Manufacturing Co Inc. in Columbus, Nebraska. For additional information, please see the meeting agenda below, or contact Ryan Green, NDEQ Small Business and Public Assistance Coordinator, at 402-471-8697.

(See attached file: 10-09-14 SBCAP Meeting Agenda.pdf)

Health alerts for toxic blue-green algae are currently in effect at five lakes in Nebraska. An alert has been issued for Lone Star Lake in Fillmore County. Alerts continue at Big Indian Creek Lake in Gage County, Kirkman’s Cove in Richardson County, Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County, and Willow Creek Lake in Pierce County.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality is announcing that limited funding is available to replace older school buses with new buses that have certified cleaner burning engines. This funding is made possible by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State Clean Diesel Grant program.