The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) ensures that public water consumers have safe drinking water that meets all state and federal standards. Private drinking water wells, however, are not regulated by NDEE, and some could contain harmful levels of contaminants.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has received significant interest and feedback in the Private Well Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program, which is available to private well owners with drinking water test levels above 10 parts per million of nitrate. The department would like to offer the following clarifications regarding the program’s requirements:

Federal nonpoint source pollution funds can be used to support projects that address nonpoint source contamination of groundwater, but it wasn’t always a simple process. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy was integral in justifying the use these funds for groundwater projects by proving the connection between surface water and groundwater quality.

Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) Director Jim Macy announced on February 3, 2023 that the 2022 Nebraska Clean Diesel Program is awarding approximately $325,000 in rebates to seventeen farmers across the state to aid in the replacement of diesel irrigation engines with electric motors.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy Director Jim Macy announced on February 6, 2023 the award of $7,733,191.25 in grants to support 140 projects across the state. These grants will help fund litter and waste reduction projects, recycling programs, and pay costs for scrap tire cleanups and collections for household hazardous waste, electronic waste, and pharmaceuticals.

Rundown or abandoned structures can present a safety hazard, be an eyesore, and impede economic development in some areas. Property owners or communities seeking an expedient solution to removing these troubled properties often resolve the problem through the use of permitted fire training burns, a practice which can yield valuable, life-saving experience for Nebraska fire departments.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that nearly one in four households depend on septic systems or other types of onsite systems for wastewater treatment. To protect surface water and groundwater, as well as public health and welfare, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s Onsite Wastewater Program regulates these systems through Title 124 – Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems.

Clean drinking water is a critical resource that Nebraskans depend on every day, and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is committed to preserving and protecting clean drinking water throughout the state. One of the ways the department achieves that is through the certification and training of public water system operators under the regulations of Title 179 – Public Water Systems.

LINCOLN, Neb. — On March 1, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first phase of its new $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program, which is among the first of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) grant programs to be administered by EPA. The CPRG Program will award funds to state and local governments to develop and implement climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has remaining funds available for Nebraska schools and licensed child care facilities to sample for lead in their drinking water. All public, parochial, and private schools from pre-K through high school, and public and in-home child care facilities qualify.