Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy | Winter 2004/2005 |
2004 Marks New Era in Toxic Algae Awareness
 Although toxic blue-green algae has always been a potential threat to public health, it became an issue of much greater concern in Nebraska in 2004.
The state’s awareness of the issue became sharply focused in early May, when the Department of Environment and Energy (DEE) received reports of a dog dying after drinking water containing algae from Buccaneer Bay, a residential sandpit lake near the Platte River, south of Omaha. The autopsy conducted on the dog and water samples taken from the lake both confirmed high levels of the algae toxin Microcystin...
Contact with Blue-Green Algae Can Make You Sick
Blue-green algae blooms sometimes smell bad and can look like thick paint spilled in the water. If you visit a lake that looks like it may have a problem, there are several methods of protecting yourself and others from the hazards...
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A Message From The Director
Lessons Learned From a Natural Disaster
When a disaster strikes, such as the tornadoes that struck Hallam and several other areas in eastern Nebraska in the spring of 2004, there needs to be coordinated efforts between the public, local responders and multiple state and federal agencies. It is a monumental undertaking to try to bring order in a situation where nature has caused such unexpected chaos and destruction...
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Grant Funds Help US GreenFiber Purchase New Grinder for Recycling
 On September 29, 2004, representatives of US GreenFiber in Norfolk held an open house, giving a chance to many interested parties to see a new recycling process. The company demonstrated a new rotary grinder that was purchased with grant money awarded by both Nebraska and Iowa grant programs.
Steve Danahy, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy Planning & Aid Unit Supervisor said, “With this additional piece of equipment purchased through the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program, US Greenfiber will be able to recycle additional types of waste that previously would have gone to a landfill.”...
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Air Program Workshops Provide 2004 Update
The Air Quality Division held “Air Program Update” workshops in the fall of 2004 in Kearney, Scottsbluff, Lincoln, and Norfolk to present information regarding Nebraska’s air quality regulations. The workshop agenda for this annual event included information on state and federal air regulation updates, emission factors, emission calculations, air quality compliance, and asthma in the workplace...
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Power Summit
On November 4, a four-year-old partnership between the Department of Environment and Energy (DEE) and Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) entered a new phase as the two organizations for the first time brought representatives of the electrical generation sector together with department staff in a day-long “summit.” The meeting is the latest result of an agreement signed by both organizations in 2000, according to Joe Francis, DEE Associate Program Director...
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EPA Administrator Leavitt Tours Omaha Lead Superfund Site
 A beautiful early fall day set a perfect stage for a brief but informative stop in Omaha by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Mike Leavitt.* Administrator Leavitt toured a portion of the Omaha Lead Superfund site on October 5 accompanied by EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford, 2nd District Congressman Lee Terry, Governor Mike Johanns*, and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey.
Soil at over 20,000 residential properties, schools, and child care facilities in and near Omaha have been tested since 1999 for soil lead concentration. At about 40 % of these properties, mostly in a 20 square mile area near downtown Omaha, soil has been found contaminated with lead at levels high enough to qualify for removal under the Superfund program. Lead contamination resulted from emissions from lead smelting operations formerly operating in east Omaha...
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Variance Approved For Ash Grove Cement Company
In July 2004, the Department of Environment and Energy (DEE) approved a variance which will allow the Ash Grove Cement Co. to burn tires in addition to coal at its Louisville cement kiln over a 60-day period. (A variance is usually a limited and temporary suspension of a rule.)
Ash Grove normally burns coal for fuel in the cement-making process. The purpose of the proposed tire burning, or “trial burn,” is to conduct a series of performance tests to determine the feasibility of burning tires as fuel. In the trial burn, varying percentages of tires will be added to coal to determine the most effective fuel mixture...
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What is a cement kiln?
A typical cement kiln is a huge cylindrical furnace 12 to 25 feet in diameter and 450 to 1,000 feet in length. Kilns are set on a slight incline and rotate from one to three revolutions per minute. Cement kilns can process up to 200 tons of raw materials such as limestone, clay, and sand per hour...
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VCP Encourages Faster Cleanups, Redevelopment Of Contaminated Properties
The Nebraska Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), formerly known as the Remedial Action Plan Monitoring Act or RAPMA, was established by the Nebraska Legislature in 1995 . Recently revised and given a new name, this streamlined, results-based program is designed to promote the voluntary cleanup of contaminated properties. By encouraging voluntary action, the VCP may lead to beneficial reuse and economic redevelopment of property that may otherwise be regarded as a liability...
Source Water Grants Assist Community Water Protection Efforts
Drinking water. It’s such a routine aspect of our daily lives that it can easily be taken for granted. If you need a drink, you just turn on a faucet, or find a water fountain. It is nearly always available, so it is easy to overlook how important drinking water is to the health and vitality of our communities. A reliable source of good quality water is essential if a community is to function normally and efficiently. If a community’s water supply becomes contaminated or is otherwise restricted or unusable, daily routines may be immediately disrupted...
"Cash-for-Grass" Program Promotes Drought Tolerant Landscaping
The South Platte Natural Resources District received a 2003 Source Water Protection grant to implement a pilot program called “Cash For Grass.”...
Francis co-chairs ITRC
Joe Francis, Associate Director and supervisor of the Department’s Division of Environmental Assistance, has been elected Co-Chair of the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC)...
Report on Environment Being Developed;
Two Reports Now Available
DEE will soon publish a report on Nebraska’s environment that will describe the overall condition of the state’s natural resources and the significant environmental issues facing the state. In addition to examining the state as a whole, the report will describe conditions within four broad ecological regions... |
How to Contact Us
The Environmental Update staff welcome your thoughts and ideas on environmental issues. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future topics for this newsletter, please contact the Public Information Office. |
Phone: | (402) 471-2186 |
Address: | 1200 N St., Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 |
E-mail: | |
Web site: | |
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