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  • Nebraska Continuous Water-Quality Network
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INFORMATION CENTER

• Major projects
  • High Plains Water-Level Monitoring Study (HPWLMS)
  • High Plains Aquifer Water-Availability Study
  • Central Nebraska NAWQA
  • Elkhorn-Loup Model (ELM)
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ABOUT THE NEBRASKA WSC

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USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Water Resources of Nebraska

Welcome to the USGS Web page for the Nebraska Water Science Center (NEWSC). Here you'll find information on Nebraska's rivers and streams, groundwater, water quality, and many other topics. The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of stream-gaging stations in the state, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems.

National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 5-12, 2017

As part of National Groundwater Awareness Week, we will be highlighting our groundwater research projects this week.

Elkhorn-Loup Model

Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the effect of groundwater withdrawal on the availability of surface water and the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawal on the groundwater resource in the Elkhorn River and Loup River basins. The Elkhorn-Loup Model, a multi-phase project, is a study of surface-water and groundwater resources in the Elkhorn River Basin upstream from Norfolk, Nebraska, and the Loup River Basin upstream from Columbus, Nebraska.

• Phase One: Construction of a groundwater-flow model using previously collected data.
• Phase Two: Updates to the groundwater-flow simulation using newly collected data, supporting analyses, improved simulation calibration methods, and additional approaches for analyzing the effects of agricultural irrigation using the simulation.
• Phase Three: Investigation of the phase-two model sensitivity to recharge using the Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model, continued collection of geologic data to better characterize the aquifer, and spatial and temporal refinement of the groundwater-flow model.

Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District Groundwater Quality Monitoring

The USGS Nebraska Water Science Center has been collecting groundwater quality samples in cooperation with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District (NRD) since 1992. The project was initiated to determine the overall quality of the defined aquifers and to identify the contaminants within the aquifer. In 2006, the project was revised to focus on agricultural related chemicals, specifically contaminants that were measured in the aquifers at 30% of the maximum contaminant level. Additional unregulated pesticides were added to the sample analysis rotation as well. This adjustment allowed the NRD to identify and monitor areas that could possibly need future management.

Samples were collected from irrigation, domestic, municipal and stock wells across the NRD. Sample collection focused on a specific aquifer each year, with a total of 25-30 samples collected from the aquifer of interest during the sampling season. Through 2015, over 2,200 samples were collected from over 350 sites.

Featured Projects: Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions in the Loup River Basin

Current Conditions in Nebraska

Real-Time Streamflow Sites

The USGS provides current ("real-time") stream stage and streamflow, water-quality, and groundwater levels for over 130 sites in Nebraska.

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Quick Link to Real-Time Data

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View site list: SW GW WQ

USGS Nebraska Water News and Notices

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