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NRD News and Events

NRD Hall of Fame Inductees Announced at Husker Harvest Days

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Four individuals honored for conservation workLINCOLN, Neb. – During Husker Harvest Days Sept. 15, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) recognized four individuals, who will be inducted into the NRD Hall of Fame later this month.“Nebraska’s Natural Reso...

EPA Announces $263,000 Grant for Nebraska to Improve Drinking Water for Underserved, Disadvantaged Communities

Friday, August 27, 2021

(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 27, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of $263,000 in grant funding for Nebraska to improve drinking water for residents in small towns and underserved communities.This funding is part of $25 million in Wa...

Hot topic: Understanding blue-green algae

Sunday, July 11, 2021

DARYL BAUER Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Jul 11, 2021 Updated Jul 17, 2021It is midsummer, it is hot and that means prime time for blue-green algae blooms.There is not a body of water here that does not have blue-green algae,...

Daily Crop Water Use Data Now Available

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

A new tool for irrigators to track crop water use and evaporation is now on the Upper Republican NRD website. Near the bottom of the home page at www.urnrd.org is a tab “Weather, Real-Time Rain Amounts, ET and Water Levels” that directs users to the evapotranspiration (E...

Deep dive into Nebraska’s water resources

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

For a state located in the middle of the continent, Nebraska has an abundance of water — in most years, that is, and in many parts of the state, but not everywhere all the time.The Cornhusker State has more miles of streams and rivers than any other state, and more groundw...

No health alerts issued yet as NDEE begins weekly public lake sampling

Friday, May 7, 2021

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, also known as toxic blue-...

Nebraska Tree Canopy in Decline, Planting More Important Than Ever

Monday, February 22, 2021

Time is running out to order conservation trees from your Natural Resources DistrictLINCOLN, Nebraska – Trees help soften the harsh climate of the Great Plains, but recent weather events are leaving Nebraska communities at-risk of being devoid of trees and their innumerabl...

URNRD Accepting Applications for Probe Cost Share

Monday, January 11, 2021

The Upper Republican NRD is accepting applications from irrigators for cost share to encourage the use of soil-moisture probes. The application period will end when all available cost-share funds have been obligated.Application forms are available on the homepage of the URNR...

URNRD 2020 Newsletter

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

URNRD Accepting Variance Applications

Friday, December 11, 2020

The Upper Republican NRD is accepting variance applications until Jan. 4, 2021 for the certification of new irrigated acres and allocation that would necessitate drilling a new well for the 2021 irrigation season. Certifying new irrigated acres that require drilling an irrig...

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Regional/National Water News

Technical Assistance for Watershed Improvement in Nebraska

06/01/2020

By Katrina Vaitkus Since 1972, the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District (MNNRD) has been devoted to helping solve natural resource issues in their area. Many of those issues revolve around erosion and water quality in the Long Pine Creek Watershed. This watershed,...Read more

UNL Water for Food Institute: U.S. Livestock Producers Using Less Water

02/25/2020

By Scott Schrage, University of Nebraska Communications, 2/25/2020 Six decades after pouring water into its livestock production, the United States is investing relative drops in the bucket to produce its meat, milk and eggs, says a recent analysis from the University of...Read more

Central Nebraska is in 'full recovery mode' after flooding

07/22/2019

By Susan Szalewski / World-Herald staff writer Jul 15, 2019 South-central Nebraska communities that were hit with heavy rain and flooding last week were in “full recovery mode” Sunday, an emergency management official said. Residents ripped out soggy drywall and other...Read more

USDA Announces Sign-Up Period for Updated Conservation Stewardship Program

04/10/2019

LINCOLN, NE. , April 10, 2019 – The deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications to be considered for funding in fiscal year 2019 is May 10, 2019. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to invest up to $700 million for new enrollments...Read more

2018 NDEQ Clean Diesel Rebates for Diesel Irrigation Engine Replacements

10/11/2018

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) announces that funding is available to Nebraska farmers to replace eligible agricultural irrigation pump diesel engines with all-electric equipment. The diesel engine may be replaced with a new electric motor or by...Read more

Watershed Projects Bring Nebraska Estimated Benefits of $80 Million a Year

04/30/2018

Watershed Projects Bring Nebraska Estimated Benefits of $80 Million a Year Support Soil and Water Stewardship Week - April 29-May 5 – Share Pictures of What Water Means to You (Lincoln, NE) In honor of Soil and Water Stewardship Week’s theme “Watersheds, Our Water, Our Home...Read more

Regulators: Loss of Nebraska tax could create new water woes

03/23/2018

Originally published March 18, 2018 at 7:31 am By GRANT SCHULTE The Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Groundwater regulators in Nebraska could have a tougher time financing water conservation projects after a bill they endorsed died in the Legislature, but some...Read more

NRDs conserve, protect our resources

07/11/2017

Hub Opinion Jul 5, 2017 Nebraska author Willa Cather’s “The Song of the Lark” is about a young woman yearning to escape to the city from her rural Colorado town, and, as with many of Cather’s novels, the book is a tribute to determination and its undeniable connection to...Read more

Water service agreement being finalized, but more big steps ahead for proposed Platte-Republican diversion project

07/11/2017

By LORI POTTER Hub Staff Writer Jul 5, 2017 Updated Jul 5, 2017 SMITHFIELD — An important step soon may be complete for a proposal to divert excess Platte River flows into the Republican Basin. The project would take the Platte water, when available, from the Central...Read more

Using Satellites to Make Irrigation Decisions?

06/08/2017

New technology being tested in Nebraska detects the moisture content of soils and crops using reflected satellite signals. If the technology pans out, it could help reduce water consumption and allow farmers to make more informed irrigation decisions. https://phys.org/news/...Read more