LINCOLN- A Lincoln-based environmental group is encouraging local action to protect Nebraska’s water resources amid growing concerns about nitrates and other contaminants. The Guardians of the Aquifer, a group founded in 2010 to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, hosted a three-hour “What’s in Our Water, Nebraska” forum with local experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and around the state.

Crystal Powers, a research and extension communication specialist with UNL’s Nebraska Water Center, described water as one of the state’s most important resources. Water access varies across the state due to different rivers and geographic differences, Powers said. For example, the southeast parts of the state, near Lincoln, receive about 2.5 times more rainfall compared to the northwest areas by Scottsbluff.

Jesse Bell, a professor and researcher of water, climate and health at UNL and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said nitrate regulations are primarily focused on 10 parts per million, which is when the risk increases for adverse health outcomes. Nebraska has one of the highest rates of pediatric cancer, and nitrates are one factor, Bell said. Bell said that nitrate exposures have been improving but that diligence is still required.

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