The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and its partners have begun weekly sampling for harmful algal blooms (HABs) at Nebraska’s public lakes.

Between May and September, the state tests for HABs at 53 public lakes each week to protect public health. HABs, also referred to as toxic blue-green algae, refer to certain strains of cyanobacteria that produce the toxin microcystin. HABs are caused by a combination of factors: water temperature, low water depths and high levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) will hold an online public outreach event on the proposed changes to Title 119, Nebraska Rules and Regulations Pertaining To The Issuance Of Permits Under The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

The meeting is intended for the regulated community and stakeholders, as well as the general public. NDEE is conducting its outreach efforts now so that any informal comments the department receives from the public can be evaluated and incorporated when possible to present to the Environmental Quality Council (EQC).

Warm weather projects may mean households have a variety of items they need to get rid of. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy provides guidance on how certain materials need to be disposed.

While cleaning or renovating a home or yard, it’s important to remember which items are banned from landfills statewide:

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.

Some Nebraska communities may have properties that are in need of redevelopment, but that redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.

These properties are known as brownfields. Common examples of brownfields include old gas stations, historical dry cleaners, auto repair shops and manufacturing facilities.

Thousands of contaminated sites exist across the nation due to the improper management of hazardous wastes. In response, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980. CERCLA established what has commonly become known as Superfund to clean up the nation’s most contaminated sites.

To make compliance easy, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) simplified its return to compliance (RTC) process in the summer of 2020.

The new process allows for NDEE to work with facilities and permit holders to obtain voluntary compliance while making paths to compliance or enforcement clearer and more understandable.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s (NDEE) Drinking Water Program is dedicated to ensuring safe drinking water for all the state’s public water consumers. The program works with water systems, communities, and other state and federal partners to ensure Nebraskans have reliable and safe drinking water.

More than 1,300 public water systems in Nebraska serve approximately 80% of the people in the state. NDEE regulates these facilities to ensure the water they offer is protective of public health.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will hold an informal information session regarding revisions to Title 117 – Nebraska Surface Water Quality Standards.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will coordinate the annual meeting of the Nebraska Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel. The meeting is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to noon on September 7, 2022, in room 24 of the NDEE Building at 245 Fallbrook Blvd, Lincoln.
 

AGENDA

9:30 am Introductions/housekeeping/open meetings - Andrew Hug

9:45 am Welcome – Jim Macy (invited)10:00 am State and federal environmental developments that impact Nebraska small businesses