The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will present the webinar “Community Revitalization through Brownfields Redevelopment” on Thursday, May 13, at 11 a.m. CDT. In this webinar, the NDEE Brownfields Program will team up with the Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program (KSU TAB) to demonstrate how the two programs work in conjunction for the benefit of Nebraska communities. Information shared will include grants, resources, and planning tools available that assist with redeveloping blighted and underutilized properties.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will hold four meetings on the Proposed Changes to Title 129 Nebraska Air Quality Regulations. These meetings are intended for the regulated community and stakeholders, as well as the general public. Both in-person and virtual attendance options will be available.

WHAT: Proposed Changes to Title 129
WHEN:

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and its partners have begun weekly sampling of public lakes across Nebraska. This year’s sampling began this week, and no health alerts were issued.

This sampling will test for harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as toxic blue-green algae, and E. coli bacteria at 53 public recreational lakes across the state. The testing takes place annually from May through September.

Grants for the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) 2022 Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive, Litter Reduction and Recycling, and Scrap Tire programs can be submitted between July 14 and August 25, 2021 (deadline at 4 p.m. CST). The grant term will be January 1 through December 31, 2022. Grant decisions will be announced in December 2021.

The most recent Grant Application Guidance Document can be found at /forms/publications-grants-forms/was075.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will present a Wastewater Lagoon Operation, Maintenance & Regulatory Compliance Webinar on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. This seminar is intended for lagoon operators, caretakers and other stakeholders, as well as the general public. The program will explain lagoon treatment processes, regulatory requirements, and proper lagoon operation and maintenance practices.

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

Nebraska’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) is a streamlined, results-based approach to environmental cleanup at contaminated sites. The VCP was established by the Remedial Action Plan Monitoring Act (RAPMA), and its goals include protecting human health and the environment and returning contaminated properties to productive use safely and swiftly.

The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), also known as toxic blue-green algae, at Big Indian Creek Reservoir in Gage County.

Willow Creek Lake in Pierce County was removed from the list of lakes under health alert.

The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), also known as toxic blue-green algae, at Swan Creek Lake (Willard Meyer Recreation Area) in Saline County.

Lakes removed from health alert are Bluestem Lake in Lancaster County and Johnson Lake in Dawson and Gosper counties. Kirkman’s Cove Lake in Richardson County remains on health alert.

Groundwater information in the state is now easily accessible on the Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse website.

The website shows a map of Nebraska water wells and features various layers including a map of the High Plains Aquifer and soil data.

The database has over 1.6 million sample results and is believed to be the largest collection of nitrate groundwater data in the nation, with over 200,000 results at 34,000 wells, said Dave Miesbach, NDEE Groundwater Section Supervisor.