Water Resource Management Commons^™

Water Current, Volume 36, No. 2. Spring 2004

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• June Tour Focuses on Competing Uses for Platte River Water and Basin Development by Steve Ress

• First Water Law, Policy and Science Conference Sets the Bar High by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Helping Small Towns Reduce Arsenic in Drinking Water by Steve Ress

• GIS mapping tool helps officials track livestock diseases by Steve Ress

• News from the Water Sciences Laboratory

• Involve Public in Hard Decisions Regarding Science and Policy, Agency head Says by George Green

• Pederson and Graduate Student Stay Busy Chasing Waterfalls

Water News Briefs

Remediating Rdx-Contaminated Ground Water With Permanganate: Laboratory Investigations For The Pantex Perched Aquifer, M. L. Adam, Steven Comfort, Matthew C. Morley, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Ground water beneath the U.S. Department of Energy Pantex Plant is contaminated with the high explosive RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5- trinitro-1,3,5 triazine). The USDOE Innovative Treatment and Remediation Demonstration (ITRD) program identified in situ oxidation by permanganate as a technology fit for further investigation. We evaluated the efficacy of KMnO₄ to transform and mineralize RDX by determining degradation kinetics and carbon mass balances using ¹⁴C-RDX. Aqueous RDX solutions (2–5 mg L^–1) and RDX-contaminated slurries (50% solids, w/v) were treated with KMnO₄ at 1000, 2000, 4000, and 20,000 mg L^–1. Treating an aqueous RDX solution of …

Ogallala Aquifer, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Ogallala Aquifer, or High Plains Aquifer, is a porous body of complex sediments and sedimentary rock formations that conducts groundwater and yields significant quantities of water to wells and springs. The principal sediments and rocks of the aquifer range in age from 33 million years old to sediments being deposited today, but the majority is less than 12 million-years old. Much of the aquifer is composed of the Ogallala Group or Formation. The dominant sediments in the Ogallala and the other hydrogeologic units in the aquifer are riverand wind-deposited sands. The aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the …

An Analysis Of Simulated Long-Term Soil Moisture Data For Three Land Uses Under Contrasting Hydroclimatic Conditions In The Northern Great Plains, Rezaul Mamood, Kenneth G. Hubbard

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Soil moisture (SM) plays an important role in land surface and atmosphere interactions. It modifies energy balance near the surface and the rate of water cycling between land and atmosphere. The lack of observed SM data prohibits understanding of SM variations at climate scales under varying land uses. However, with simulation models it is possible to develop a long-term SM dataset and study these issues. In this paper a water balance model is used to provide a quantitative assessment of SM climatologies for three land uses, namely, irrigated corn, rain-fed corn, and grass, grown under three hydroclimatic regimes in Nebraska. …

An Agricultural Drought Risk-Assessment Model For Corn And Soybeans, Hong Wu, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Donald A. Wilhite

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society. Published by Wiley InterScience. Used by permis-sion.

Drought Monitoring Using Data Mining Techniques: A Case Study For Nebraska, Usa, Tsegaye Tadesse, Donald A. Wilhite, Sherri K. Harms, Michael J. Hayes, Steve Goddard

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Drought has an impact on many aspects of society. To help decision makers reduce the impacts of drought, it is important to improve our understanding of the characteristics and relationships of atmospheric and oceanic parameters that cause drought. In this study, the use of data mining techniques is introduced to find associations between drought and several oceanic and climatic indices that could help users in making knowledgeable decisions about drought responses before the drought actually occurs. Data mining techniques enable users to search for hidden patterns and find association rules for target data sets such as drought episodes. These techniques …

Water Current, Volume 36, No. 1. Winter 2004

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• UNL Water Law, Policy and Science Conference is Mar. 4-5 by Steve Ress

• Summer Tour is June 7-9

• From the Director

• Bringing a Community Lake Back to Life

• UNL Water and Natural Resources Lectures

• Fact Sheets Explore Water Transfer and Marketing, Management of Dakota Aquifer

• Water Levels Continue Decline in High Plains Aquifer by Steve Ross

• Tracking Elk to Determine Best Herd Size for Nebraska’s Pine Ridge by Steve Ress

• Water News Briefs

• Lower Levels at Lake McConaughy Reveal Shoreline Erosion by Steve Ress and Charles Flowerday

Leaf And Wood Utilization In The Middle Missouri River, Kim Rager

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln School Of Natural Resources Review: Final Report, December 2003, Michael O'Neill, Phaedra Budy, Stephen Degloria, Ed Kanemasu, Jamie Robertson, Derrel Martin, Anne K. Vidaver, Tylr Naprstek, Donna Woudenberg

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

In July 2003, the School of Natural Resource Sciences was merged with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Water Center Nebraska State Survey. This merger produced the School of Natural Resources (hereafter referred to as the "School") in its current form. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requested a ten-year review of the School's programs and activities. The review was administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture, and the School.

The review document is divided into nine sections. The first …

Applications Of Remote Sensing And Gis To The Studies Of Groundwater–Lake Interactions In The Nebraska Sandhills, Evgueni N. Tcherepanov

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 4, Fall 2003

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• UNL Scientists Earn $1.8 Million NSF Grant to Study Sandhills Ecosystem

• Finding Solutions to Water conflicts Subject of UNL Conference by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Research Probes Land Use Impact on Stream Health by Steve Ress

• SNR Researcher Examines Predators’ Impact on Nesting Songbirds by Steve Ress

• Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour Explores Republican River Basin

• Water News Briefs

Csrees School Of Natural Resources Comprehensive Five-Year Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Movements And Habitat Use By Shovelnose And Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Benjamin D. Swigle

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 3. June 2003

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• NU Environmental Programs Soon To Be Under One Roof by Steve Ress

• Water Resources Research Initiative Could Expand UNL Research Role by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Sidney Area Residents Are Adapting to Changes From Current Drought Conditions by Kerry Ferguson

• Water and Electricity Are Inseparable by Michael P. Gutzmer

• Monitoring Shows Sharp Drops in Eastern Nebraska Groundwater Levels by Charles Flowerday

• Planning Continues for July Water and Natural Resources Tour by Steve Ress

• Water News Briefs

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 2. April 2003

Water Current Newsletter

• Researchers Honing Methods to Sample Field Run-off Water by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Planning Continues for July Tour of Republican River Basin by Steve Ress

• Earth Systems Education: Opportunity and Challenges by David C. Gosselin

• Dealing with the Impacts of a “Modern” Drough by Donald A. White

• Probing the Secrets of Salty Groundwater by Steve Ress • Water News Briefs

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 1, February 2003

Water Current Newsletter

Plans Taking Shape for Summer Tour; Geologists to Meet In Lincoln
Meet the Faculty
New Analytic Equipment Increases Water Sciences Lab Capabilities
Effects of Heavy Sedimentation on Rainwater Basin Wetland Hydrology
Students Get Their Feet Wet at Audubon Spring Creek Prairie
Water News Briefs
Free Water and Natural Resources Lectures Continue at UNL

Herbicide Loading To Shallow Ground Water Beneath Nebraska’S Management Systems Evaluation Area, Roy F. Spalding, Darrell G. Watts, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada, Mary E. Exner, James S. Schepers

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Better management practices can counter deterioration of ground water quality. From 1991 through 1996 the influence of improved irrigation practices on ground water pesticide contamination was assessed at the Nebraska Management SystemsEvaluation Area. Three 13.4-ha corn (Zea mays L.) fields were studied: a conventional furrow-irrigated field, a surge-irrigated field and a center pivot–irrigated field, and a center pivot–irrigated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) field. The corn fields received one identical banded application of Bicep (atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N’-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,-diamine] _ metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide]) annually; the alfalfa field was untreated. Ground water samples were collected …

Herbicides In Ground Water Beneath Nebraska’S Management Systems Evaluation Area, Roy F. Spalding, Mary E. Exner, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada, Mark E. Burbach, Stephen J. Monson

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Profiles of ground water pesticide concentrations beneath the Nebraska Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA) describe the effect of 20 years of pesticide usage on ground water in the central Platte Valley of Nebraska. During the 6-yr (1991–1996) study, 14 pesticides and their transformation products were detected in 7848 ground water samples from the unconfined water table aquifer. Triazine and acetamide herbicides applied on the site and their transformation products had the highest frequencies of detection. Atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N’-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,-diamine] concentrations decreased with depth and ground water age determined with ³H/³He dating techniques. Assuming equivalent atrazine …

Democratizing Science, Management, And Public Policy In The Missouri River Ecosystem: A Pilot Study Of Agricultural Producers' Amenability To Adaptive And Collaborative Management, Meghan Sittler

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Agricultural stakeholder involvement is central to the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) National Research Council (NRC)(2002) recommendation for development and implementation of adaptive, ecosystem management principles, as well as the definition of a new management regime for the Missouri River. This document represents a pilot study of fifteen agricultural producers in three counties, Atchison County, Missouri, Fremont County, Iowa, and Otoe County, Nebraska, who were contacted via telephone and completed structured interviews. The interview questions centered upon the producers' relationship to the river, perceptions of the current management of the river, and willingness to support and participate in a proposed …

The Role Of Climate In Modern Water Planning And Related Decisions: Nebraska Case Study, Donna L. Woudenberg

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

Climate and weather play an integral role in the planning and decision-making processes for those involved in agricultural and natural resource fields. This project was conducted to determine whether climate and weather data are being efficiently and effectively used in these processes.

A survey was mailed to those who work in water-related fields in Nebraska and post-survey interviews were conducted to obtain greater detail. Survey results were analyzed in the following three ways: as a whole; stratified by respondent’s agency; and stratified by the educational background of respondents. It was found that climate and weather data are more likely to …

Analysis Of Integrated Farming Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Lori A. Hoagland

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Agroecosystems in the U.S. are beset with social, ecological and environmental problems as large industrial farming methods are edging out small family-sized farms and replacing ecological services provided by biodiversity with synthetic inputs and practices. While many of the benefits of smaller diversified or integrated farming systems are well known, farm producers need a concrete model that shows how integration is possible and with what crops. The objective of this study was to investigate some of these supplemental farm activities, and identify and evaluate whether they were compatible given the time and resource constraints of a typical eastern Nebraska farm. …

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 6. December 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• UNL Aquaculturist Sees Fish Farming Niche in Empty Hog Barns by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• The Army Corps’ Missouri River Mission by Brig. Gen. David A. Fastabend

• Water News Briefs

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 5. October 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• Fall NSIA/NWRA Convention Focuses on “Changing Times/Changing Attitudes”

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Both Blues Fall Below State-line Minimums by Keith a Paulsen

• Reclaiming Land Across the Arid West

• Bureau of Reclamation Develops Irrigation and Flood Control Projects Across Nebraska

• The North Platte Project in Wyoming and Nebraska

• The Glendo Unit in Wyoming

• Two Area Offices Manage Nebraska and Wyoming Projects

• Irrigation and Reclamation Districts and Water Supply Companies

• Water Center, Conservation and Survey Division 2003 Calendar • Water News Briefs

• Making the Choice Between Bottle Water …

Field Guide To The Geology Of The Harlan County Lake Area, Harlan County, Nebraska, With A History Of Events Leading To Construction Of Harlan County Dam, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Duane R. Mohlman, R. George Corner, F. Edwin Harvey, K. J. Warren, Scott Summerside, Roger K. Pabian, Duane A. Eversoll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The year 2002 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of completion of the Harlan County Dam and Multi-Purpose Reservoir. This seems a good time to write about the history of and reasons for building the dam, the effects of the dam and reservoir on the Republican River valley, and the geologic features seen along the shores of the lake and areas nearby. As many junior authors helped produced this educational circular, they are listed in the table of contents. All other sections were written by the senior author.

Includes July 2016 update: Addendum of photographs showing fault traces on drought-exposed lake …

Effectiveness Of Frightening Devices For Reducing Deer Damage In Cornfields, Jason M. Gilsdorf

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 4. August 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• Summer Tour Attracts More Than 80 by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• We All Live Within One System by Mary Harding

• Has the Time Come To Look at Urban Stormwater Differently? By Glenn D. Johnson

• Mapping Groundwater Recharge for Nebraska

• Nebraska Water Marketing Policy Choices by J. David Aiken

• Water News Briefs

• A Union of Festibal of Color and Gardener’s Gala by Steve Ress

A Regional Gis-Based Analysis Of Elk Habitat Suitability In Northeast Nebraska, J W. Fisher

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Light And Nutrients On Atrazine Toxicity To Freshwater Algae, Crystal J. Hansen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Beginning A New Era Of Drought Monitoring Across North America, Jay Lawrimore, Richard R. Heim Jr., Mark D. Svoboda, Val Swail, Phil J. Englehart

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Drought experts from the United States, Canada, and Mexico met at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, for a three-day workshop in late April 2002 to discuss the United States Drought Monitor program and to develop a plan for initiating a new program of drought monitoring for North America. Since its inception in 1999, the U.S. Drought Monitor (DM) has been extremely successful in assessing and communicating the state of drought in the United States on a weekly basis. This success, and the recognition that an ongoing comprehensive and integrated drought assessment was needed throughout all three …

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 3. June 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour Examines North Platte River Issues by Steve Ress

• UNL Classification Project Finds Little Variance in Nebraska –Lake Water Quality by Steve Ress

• Meet the Faculty

• Managing the Missouri River System: A Role for Universities by Tony Prato

• Nebraska’a Diverse Wetlands by Ted LaGrange

• EPA’s Risk Assessment on Atrazine

• Water News Briefs

• More than 40 Attend Water Faculty Forum by Steve Ress