Groundwater

The Division is comprised of the Geological Services, Water Well Standards and Water Well Registrations & Permits Sections. Within these Programs the teams conduct hydrogeological reviews of various permit applications and accidental spill incidents, Underground Injection Control, Mineral Exploration, Water Well Inspections, water well professional licensing, water well registrations, permits to transfer groundwater off the overlying land and well spacing permits. The Division also issues an annual report to the Legislature concerning groundwater quality in Nebraska and is responsible for hydrogeologic review of various Department programs administered through other divisions.

The Wellhead Protection and Groundwater Management Area, and Source Water Protection Programs are supported with geological and hydrogeological analysis, guidance and recommendations. 

The Geologic Services Geologists provide ongoing support for multiple programs within DWEE by conducting geohydrologic reviews and reports for numerous sites across Nebraska.

The most frequently accessed information is contained in two databases. The Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse contains millions of records regarding the occurrence and concentration of groundwater contaminants. The well registration database (State of Nebraska DWEE - WellsSearchIndex) contains more than 250,000 records of groundwater wells, including information on the geologic strata at the well location.

Groundwater Quality Monitoring Report

Legislation passed in 2001 directs DWEE to issue an annual report to the Legislature concerning the quality of the groundwater in Nebraska. The first of these reports was issued December 1, 2001. These reports summarize the water quality monitoring efforts of the Natural Resources Districts, DWEE, and other state, local, and federal agencies. Statistics and maps showing nitrate-nitrogen groundwater monitoring results, as well as four of the 42 pesticides sampled in the state were presented.

To view these documents, go to: Groundwater Publications, Reports, Forms

The report uses data from the Quality-Assessed Agrichemical Contaminant Database for Nebraska Groundwater, developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment using federal funding.

These data are accessible to the public on the Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse website. 

Water Well Registration Program

This Program performs the tasks of registering groundwater wells and maintaining the statewide well registration database. The statewide registration process maintains consistency in the information gathered and a central clearing house for well information.  The online e-commerce process for registering wells established several years ago provides a more efficient process for well contractors to submit about 90% of new well registrations online. The well registration database includes well depth, water level, well construction and geologic materials encountered at depth. This information is useful to well-owners, water users, local natural resources districts, engineers, hydrologists and planners.  All new registration documents, whether submitted online or through the mail, are scanned and available online to natural resources districts and other state agencies. In addition, the Department maintains a well-information retrieval website for the public. To support digital retrieval of archived documents our staff has coded hundreds of thousands of documents. This has enabled us to respond to the increasing demands for public records and to provide requested information in less time and in more useful formats than ever before. Another feature is the interactive map on our website that also allows retrieval of well registration database information plus the advantages of a map making interface for public use. More information

Hydrogeologic Studies and Reviews

The Groundwater Unit is responsible for hydrogeologic review of various Department projects and programs to determine possible effects on groundwater quality and to recommend possible courses of action. Programs for which this review is performed include leaking underground storage tanks and surface petroleum spills, underground injection control, wastewater treatment facilities, septic systems, NPDES permits, livestock waste control facilities, the Natural Resources Districts’ Groundwater Management Plans, and others.

In addition, the Unit performs studies if a situation does not fall under another program and is of environmental significance. Unit personnel continue to take responsibility under Title 118 for many site investigations and have sampled and supervised site cleanups.

Groundwater Management Areas

The Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) program focuses on assessing areas where groundwater problems from nonpoint source contaminants (such as agricultural chemicals) exist or are likely to exist. More Information

Underground Injection Control (UIC)

The Underground Injection Control (UIC) program reviews and issues permits, conducts inspections, and performs compliance reviews for wells used to inject fluids into the subsurface. More information

Mineral Exploration

The Mineral Exploration program issues and reviews permits, conducts inspections, and performs compliance reviews for holes drilled, driven, bored, or dug for the purpose of mineral exploration. More information

Wellhead Protection

The State Wellhead Protection program is a voluntary program, which assists communities and other public water suppliers in preventing contamination of their water supplies. More information

Municipal and Industrial Groundwater Transfer Applications

To promote orderly use and distribution of water, Nebraska state laws have provided protection of groundwater supply under a permitting system for public water suppliers and industrial water users. When a prospective groundwater-use project will be implemented that would result in groundwater withdrawal and transport via pipeline off the overlying land a permit is required from the Department, with limited exceptions.

The Director of Water, Energy, and Environment may grant and administer permits to public water suppliers: (a) To locate, develop, and maintain ground water supplies through water wells or other means and to transport water into the area to be served; and (b) to continue existing use of ground water and the transportation of ground water into the area served under the Municipal and Rural Domestic Ground Water Transfers Permit Act.

Additionally, the Director may grant and administer permits to industrial groundwater users who desire to withdraw significant quantities of ground water from the aquifers of the state in situations where such groundwater is transferred from the water well site for use at another location under the Industrial Ground Water Regulatory Act.

Municipal Groundwater Transfers

The Director of Water, Energy, and Environment may grant and administer permits to public water suppliers: (a) To locate, develop, and maintain ground water supplies through water wells or other means and to transport water into the area to be served; and (b) to continue existing use of ground water and the transportation of ground water into the area served. More information

Industrial Groundwater Transfers

The Legislature finds and declares that a permit system is necessary to protect Nebraska's ground and surface water resources and existing water users in situations where industrial users withdraw significant quantities of ground water from the aquifers of the state and in situations where such ground water is transferred from the water well site for use at another location. More Information