Groundwater information in the state is now easily accessible on the Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse website.
The website shows a map of Nebraska water wells and features various layers including a map of the High Plains Aquifer and soil data.
The database has over 1.6 million sample results and is believed to be the largest collection of nitrate groundwater data in the nation, with over 200,000 results at 34,000 wells, said Dave Miesbach, NDEE Groundwater Section Supervisor.
“We are thrilled to make state groundwater information available on one easily-accessible webpage. This is a tremendous resource for the public, especially anyone making decisions about well placement and water quality,” Miesbach said.
There are various ways to view groundwater data including a sample result explorer, well explorer and aggregate nitrate chart. By clicking on a Clearinghouse Number, users can view nitrate levels over time, see information about the well and access well registration information on the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources website.
Most of the groundwater quality data used in this database comes from the state’s 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), who have been collecting data since the 1970s.
Work on the project started in 2017, with funding from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants. To create this application, NDEE worked with the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC), a national nonprofit organization whose members are the state agencies that protect and regulate groundwater resources. The app uses open source code that can be adopted by other organizations interested in sharing groundwater data.
On behalf of the agency, Miesbach thanked all involved organizations for their collaborative efforts in bringing this project to light.
“We’d like to offer a huge thanks to the NRDs and GWPC for their teamwork in making this happen,” he said. “The Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Conservation and Survey Division have also been instrumental from the beginning.”
To access the website, visit clearinghouse.nebraska.gov.