Whether it’s turning on a faucet or flushing a toilet, these are two everyday occurrences that most people have likely taken for granted at one time or another. In reality, there is a complex set of systems and processes behind these seemingly simple actions, and it takes a team of engineers to ensure that water from the tap stays clean and that wastewater is treated properly.

At the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), engineers are a vital component in the department’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment.

April 18, 2023 – The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s draft 2022 Water Quality Integrated Report is now available for public review and comment.

Medical waste is generated every day throughout the state in homes, hospitals, and medical facilities. How this waste is disposed depends on where it was generated and if it’s considered infectious.

“Medical Waste” is an industry term for waste generated via healthcare activities, yet it is the term most of us are most familiar with. Most medical waste is not dangerous, and a majority of it goes to permitted landfills like any other solid waste. However, some medical wastes can also be considered infectious wastes.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and its partners have begun weekly sampling of public beaches across Nebraska for 2023.

This sampling will test for microcystin — a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as toxic blue-green algae — and E. coli bacteria at 55 public beaches at 50 recreational lakes across the state. The testing takes place annually from May through September.

Due to their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate valuable and renewable biogas energy, anaerobic digesters are a topic of growing interest within the agricultural sector.

To ensure that agricultural facilities with anaerobic digesters operate in an environmentally responsible manner, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) regulates and permits agricultural facilities with digesters in the state.

The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), also known as toxic blue-green algae, at Glenn Cunningham Lake.

Samples taken earlier this week at the lake on alert measured above the threshold of 8 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin, which is a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.

May 16, 2023 -- Nebraska's 2023 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.

Grant applications for the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) 2024 Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive, Litter Reduction and Recycling, and Scrap Tire programs can be submitted between June 28 and August 9, 2023 (4:00 p.m. CST). The grant term will be January 1 through December 31, 2024. Grant decisions will be announced in December 2023. An estimated $3 million will be available for Litter grants and $4.5 million for Waste grants.

Composting is one way Nebraskans can divert organic waste from landfills. This process promotes biodegradation of organic materials like leaves, grass clippings and some food items to create a useful product that makes soil more fertile. Sludge, also referred to as biosolids, from wastewater treatment facilities and livestock waste can also be composted.

The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), also known as toxic blue-green algae, at Pawnee Lake in Lancaster County.

Samples taken earlier this week at Pawnee Lake measured above the threshold of 8 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin, which is a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.