Lower Elkhorn NRD receives grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) will receive $8,750 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Establish Baseline Vadose Zone Sampling - Pierce County” project. The Trust Board announced funding for the project, which is one of 113 projects receiving $18,350,515 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year. Of these, 42 were new applications and 71 are carry-over projects.

Within the LENRD, citizens rely on groundwater as the primary source of water for all uses. Maintaining a safe drinking water source is one of the most important priorities of the LENRD. This has been increasingly difficult within areas of Pierce County, as groundwater nitrate levels in many areas have remained above safe levels, and in some areas, continue to increase. This is supported by over 40 years of groundwater sampling by the LENRD. Through this project, the LENRD will expand its groundwater monitoring program by establishing baseline vadose zone nitrate data. Through the collection of a minimum of 11 cores spread throughout the area of Pierce County designated as the Phase 3 Groundwater Management Area, the LENRD will be able to determine the nitrate load moving through the soil profile, and will monitor the nitrate load in response to best management practices being implemented by producers. After establishing this baseline data, the LENRD intends to return to the sample location sites every 5 years for additional monitoring. The LENRD requests the Nebraska Environmental Trust to fund a portion of this project, which is being led by the LENRD.

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the Trust has provided over $349 million in grants to over 2,400 projects across the state. Anyone – citizens, organizations, communities, farmers and businesses – can apply for funding to protect habitat, improve water quality and establish recycling programs in Nebraska. The Nebraska Environmental Trust works to preserve, protect and restore our natural resources for future generations.