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Nebraska sues neighboring Colorado over how much water it's drawing from the South Platte River

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

MARGERY A. BECKWed, July 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM MDTOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is suing Colorado over the amount of water it draws from the South Platte River, the latest in a long history of water rights disputes between the states that have been left increasingly dry by cli...

Nebraska U ranks in top 10% worldwide for agriculture, natural resources

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

By Geitner Simmons | IANR MediaThe University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s agriculture and natural resources programs rank in the top 10% of nearly 500 institutions worldwide, according to new QS World University Rankings.Nebraska ranked third among Big Ten land-grant...

Nebraska's Largest Classroom Days

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Visit the Natural Resources Districts in the Raising Nebraska Exhibit during the Nebraska State Fair's Largest Classroom Days. This free event takes place on Friday, August 22, Tuesday, August 26, and Wednesday, August 27 and is a special educational event for kind...

Water technology, efficiency at heart of Master Irrigator program

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Nebraska joins a half-dozen other states in developing a program that helps farmers improve water management and irrigation efficiency.By Don McCabeFor 40-plus years, Roric Paulman has adopted the latest in new crop and irrigation technology on his farm south of Sutherl...

ACE Camp Registration

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Registrations for ACE Camp are being accepted until June 6!Registration can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpB3kRXb2rzsUIjKrEy90jQVx0xf7opKFZDj0cMs5yhWRDIg/viewform

Governor Pillen Declares Emergency, Mobilizes Nebraska National Guard and Issues Statewide Burn Ban Following Fire in Brown County

Thursday, April 24, 2025

LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen has authorized the Nebraska National Guard to mobilize 29 soldiers and airmen to assist local volunteer fire departments, which are currently battling the Plum Creek Fire near Johnstown, Nebraska, in Brown County. Nebraska Army Nation...

Large Solar-Energy Proposal On NCORPE To Be Presented To NRD Board

Monday, February 10, 2025

The Upper Republican NRD Board of Directors will be presented with plans for a solar-energy project on NCORPE land in Lincoln County in advance of a final NCORPE vote on the project expected Feb. 19. The public is invited to attend and provide input.If approved by the NCORPE...

URNRD Launches 2025 Probe Cost Share Program

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Applications to receive cost share for soil-moisture probes used in 2025 are now being accepted by the Upper Republican NRD. Under the program, irrigators in Perkins, Dundy and Chase Counties are reimbursed for half the cost of up to three soil-moisture probes.Use of soil-mo...

Luncheon, Meeting Will Inform Farmers of Nitrogen Management and Payments

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Imperial, Neb. – A free luncheon and meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 10 at the Nutrien building at the Chase County Fairgrounds to inform farmers of state payments available for reducing nitrogen applications, and technologies and products to help them achiev...

NDEE accepting applications for ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program

Thursday, November 14, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) announces the opening of the 2024-2025 ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program. Applications are now being accepted for rebates to assist farmers with the replacement of agricultural irrigation pump d...

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Regional/National Water News

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

10/10/2023

GLOBAL WARMING HAS FOCUSED concern on land and sky as soaring temperatures intensify hurricanes, droughts and wildfires. But another climate crisis is unfolding, underfoot and out of view. Many of the aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems, and which...Read more

Nebraska Water Center researchers conduct statewide project to characterize nitrogen transformation beneath ground surface

08/12/2023

Surface soil, the deeper vadose zone, and groundwater are all interconnected and of particular importance due to Nebraska’s agricultural practices and reliance on groundwater for multiple uses. The vadose zone refers to the unsaturated zone above the water table, where...Read more

Disaster declared in 55 Nebraska counties because of drought

04/06/2023

More than half of Nebraska's counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas because of the ongoing drought. The United States Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced the designation for 55 of the state's 93 counties, which makes farmers and...Read more

Continued below-average precipitation reduces groundwater levels, report shows

04/05/2023

by Geitner Simmons | IANR Media Groundwater levels have declined in most of Nebraska following multiple years of below-average precipitation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists found in a new statewide analysis. About three-quarters of the 4,787 observation wells...Read more

Feds slap restrictions on more than 1,000 miles of Keystone pipeline after Kansas oil spill

03/08/2023

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen, KCUR March 8, 2023, 4 p.m Oil spills on the Keystone pipeline that runs from Canada to Texas are becoming more frequent and serious, federal regulators said Tuesday. So the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered Canadian company TC Energy to lower...Read more

Dicamba use deadline to remain as June 30 in Nebraska

02/27/2023

LINCOLN, Neb. —Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Sherry Vinton recently sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) objecting to a label revision for the herbicide dicamba and a proposed early cutoff date for its use. NDA was recently...Read more

USDA Invests More than $48.6 Million to Manage Risks, Combat Climate Change

02/21/2023

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest more than $48.6 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems, and...Read more

Nebraska joins other states to fight new WOTUS rule

02/16/2023

BY: CINDY GONZALEZ LINCOLN — Nebraska on Thursday joined 24 other states in a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s new rule defining so-called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS. The multi-state coalition said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps...Read more

'Potential for a lawsuit': State leaders clash over $567M canal project

12/30/2022

Engineers finish evaluating Perkins County Canal Project PERKINS COUNTY, Neb. — The fight for water between Nebraska and Colorado is also dividing state leaders. The Perkins County Canal Project would divert water from the South Platte River into Nebraska as Colorado...Read more

Bison return program is now helping Native American ranchers build herds

11/08/2022

About 330 bison coming from Nebraska preserve operated by the Nature Conservancy BY: PAUL HAMMEL - NOVEMBER 3, 2022 LINCOLN — For years, Wayne Frederick and his father managed a herd of bison held by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of south-central South Dakota. But now, a unique...Read more