February 22, 2012 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will participate in seven meetings across the state in March for livestock producers to learn about new and expanded nutrient management regulations. These meetings are being announced and supported by Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Poultry Industries, Nebraska Pork Producers and the Nebraska State Dairy Association.

Some Guidelines On Ways to Protect Our Groundwater

March 6, 2012 -- As part of National Ground Water Awareness Week (March 11-17, 2012), the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality is joining the Ground Water Protection Council and the National Ground Water Association in providing some useful guidelines on ways we can protect our ground water resources.
 

March 29, 2012 – Presentations from NDEQ's annual Environmental Update, which was held March 22, 2012, are posted below. NDEQ provides updates on a variety of environmental topics at this annual event, and representatives from businesses and industries were invited to ask questions, pick up new information, and provide feedback.

Below are copies of the meeting agenda, and PDF versions of Powerpoint presentations and handouts:

Meeting Agenda

(See attached file: 2012 Env Update Agenda.pdf)
File Size: 73 KB

April 18, 2012 – The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has announced a reduction in the interest rates available to communities to obtain low-interest loans for drinking water and wastewater treatment projects. Interest rates have been reduced in both the Nebraska Clean Water (wastewater) State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) and the Nebraska Drinking Water SRF.

May 24, 2012 – Nebraskans may notice that over the Spring, new signs are being installed along roadways across the state, indicating that they are entering a Drinking Water Protection Area. The signs are designed to raise public awareness about cooperative efforts between the state and local groups to protect the drinking water from contamination in the area. Altogether, over 400 signs will be posted at 158 Drinking Water Protection Areas across the state.

May 30, 2012 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality would like to remind owners of tanks used to store liquid fertilizer that a diking system may be necessary for secondary containment.

“If a spill occurs and there is no secondary containment, the fertilizer could impact our streams, lakes and ground water,” said NDEQ Director Mike Linder. “These secondary containment rules are there to protect our environment and avoid costly cleanups.”

What is secondary containment and when is liquid fertilizer containment required?

June 22, 2012 -- NDEQ is proposing to issue new General Permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to prevent discharges to waters of the state. CAFOs within the State of Nebraska that confine only cattle, either in open lots or under roof, are eligible for coverage. The public comment period for the draft permits runs through July 20, 2012.

July 5, 2012 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will be hosting four Air Program Update Workshops in late August. The workshops will provide attendees with updates on current air quality regulations and issues. NDEQ encourages anyone working with air quality regulations to attend. Times and locations include:

 

July 25, 2012 – The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has announced further reductions in the interest rates available through the Nebraska Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund, which provides communities low-interest loans for wastewater treatment projects.

July 25, 2012 – Eastern Nebraska has been experiencing unusually high readings of pollutants (particularly ozone) in recent days, due in part to high temperatures. An excellent source of information regarding regional air quality and forecasts can be found at the AirNow web site, located at http://www.airnow.gov/.
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