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A Long-Term Perspective On Drought In The Great Plains And West, Sherilyn C. Fritz
A Long-Term Perspective On Drought In The Great Plains And West, Sherilyn C. Fritz
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
Management of water resources requires an understanding of the full range of natural variability and its consequences. The weather record, which spans the last 100 years or so, provides a snapshot of the contemporary history of drought and its impacts, but this record is relatively short and is inadequate for understanding long-term trends or for evaluating the magnitude of human impacts. A variety of so-called paleoclimatic records - such as tree rings, lake sediments, and sand dunes - record the history of the environment and can be used to extend the record of climatic variation to older intervals of time. …
The Public Interest Test For Water Appropriations, Sandi Zellmer
The Public Interest Test For Water Appropriations, Sandi Zellmer
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
Nebraska, like most states, imposes a “public interest” review on applications for water appropriations, changes and transfers. However, Nebraska statutes do not provide any specific public interest criteria for use in evaluating applications for new water appropriations or intra-basin transfers. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 46-234, an application for a water appropriation may be refused when denial is demanded by the public interest. The director of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has the duty of determining whether the public interest demands the denial of a water appropriation, but is given no express statutory criteria to provide assistance in making …
Instream Flow Legislation, Sandi Zellmer
Instream Flow Legislation, Sandi Zellmer
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
In the west, state law historically considered water left in the stream to be wasted. Western states, which rely heavily on diversions to meet their water needs, have encouraged full appropriation of rivers and streams. In many cases, however, diversions have resulted in the depletion of stream flow reliant ecosystems and adversely affected fish, wildlife, recreation and river navigation.
A comparison of Nebraska law to the water law of other western states demonstrates that Nebraska’s existing instream flow legislation is quite narrow. Nebraska statutes impose a variety of restrictions on instream flow appropriations, many of which are unique and even …
Water As Property, Sandi Zellmer
Water As Property, Sandi Zellmer
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
The issue of whether water is or should be characterized as property under the law raises considerable controversy. In the western United States, water is typically viewed as a form of property, while in the east it is not. Whether water should be treated as property has been the subject of an extensive body of scholarship. Proponents argue that establishing legally protected, secure private property rights encourages maximum utilization of resources. Also, exclusivity and surety of possession can foster wise investment of labor and stewardship. Conversely, the absence of legally protected interests in property ownership can result in a “tragedy …
The Republican, The Platte And Pumpkin Creek: Current Nebraska Water Policy Issues, J. David Aiken
The Republican, The Platte And Pumpkin Creek: Current Nebraska Water Policy Issues, J. David Aiken
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
Potential conflicts between surface water users and ground water users are posing perplexing challenges to Nebraska policy makers. Surface water law is the rule of priority, "first in time is first in right," as administered by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Ground water is primarily the rule of correlative rights, as administered by local natural resources districts (NRDs). Traditionally ground water irrigators have been subject to few restrictions on drilling new wells or how much water could be used (except in the Upper Republican NRD in southwest Nebraska). Now the DNR can ban new wells in overappropriated and …
Occurrence Of Sulfonamide Antimicrobials In Private Water Wells In Washington County, Idaho, Usa, Angela L. Batt, Daniel D. Snow, Diana S. Aga
Occurrence Of Sulfonamide Antimicrobials In Private Water Wells In Washington County, Idaho, Usa, Angela L. Batt, Daniel D. Snow, Diana S. Aga
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
County (Weiser, Idaho) were collected to assess the impact of a nearby confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) on the quality of the local groundwater. All six samples were found contaminated by two veterinary antimicrobials, sulfamethazine (at concentrations from 0.076 to 0.22 μg/l) and sulfadimethoxine (at concentrations from 0.046 to 0.068 μg/l). These groundwater samples also contained elevated concentrations of nitrate and ammonium. Three of the sampled wells have nitrate levels that exceeded the maximum contaminant level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water, with nitrate concentration as high as 39.1 mg/l. All but one well showed nitrate, …
Anaerobic Biodegradation Of Rdx And Tce: Single- And Dual-Contaminant Batch Tests, Travis S. M. Young, Matthew C. Morley, Daniel D. Snow
Anaerobic Biodegradation Of Rdx And Tce: Single- And Dual-Contaminant Batch Tests, Travis S. M. Young, Matthew C. Morley, Daniel D. Snow
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
Several sites in the United States have groundwater contaminated with mixtures of high explosives and chlorinated solvents. This research examined the ability of two microbial cultures (anaerobic sludge and a facultative enrichment culture) to biodegrade single- and dual-contaminant mixtures of trichloroethene (TCE) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) under anaerobic conditions. In single component batch tests, both cultures degraded 0.6–1 mg RDX/L and its nitroso metabolites to below detection limits in <7 days. During initial 9-day TCE biodegradation tests, the anaerobic sludge did not transform TCE, whereas the facultative culture transformed approximately 10% of the initial 1.4 mg TCE/L. Prior to dual-contaminant batch tests, both cultures were grown in the presence of TCE. Subsequently, both acclimated cultures rapidly biodegraded mixtures of RDX and TCE. Both cultures degraded RDX and RDX-nitroso compounds to below detection limits in <4 days. In the same tests, TCE-acclimated anaerobic sludge converted TCE primarily to cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE), while the acclimated facultative culture produced cis-DCE and other chlorinated metabolites. These preliminary results demonstrate that anaerobic bioremediation may be part of a feasible groundwater remediation …
Emerging Chemicals And Analytical Methods (2006), Matthew C. Morley, Daniel D. Snow, Chad Cecrle, Patrick Denning, Lindsey Miller
Emerging Chemicals And Analytical Methods (2006), Matthew C. Morley, Daniel D. Snow, Chad Cecrle, Patrick Denning, Lindsey Miller
Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications
This review summarizes peer-reviewed literature related to analysis, occurrence, and fate of emerging chemical contaminants in the water environment. The review focuses on the following broad categories of emerging contaminants: pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs); endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), including hormones, surfactants, and plasticizers; and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Although many of the cited articles refer to multiple types of contaminants (particularly hormones and pharmaceuticals), each article is summarized in only one section. Articles pertaining to specific treatment methods, risk assessments, or biological effects are not included in this review, and articles covering disinfection byproducts (DBPs), fluorinated compounds, and …