25-WORD DESCRIPTION:
We are Nebraska’s nonprofit newsroom. We hold the powerful accountable and publish inspirational journalism, freely available to all. Support freedom of the press in Nebraska.
HOW WE USE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS:
- For every $10 you donate every month, we reach another Nebraskan with nonpartisan, impartial, and impactful journalism.
A STORY FROM OUR AGENCY:
Our stories make a difference: By reporting in-depth about public housing tenants, low-income families with overdue school lunch fees, prisoners held beyond their parole date, Medicaid recipients, crime victims, workers who rely on public buses, and many communities whose challenges have been overlooked – we give Nebraskans tools to improve their lives, and we spur leaders to take action.
A great example is our ongoing reporting on drinking water contaminants in rural Nebraska:
Nebraska’s rising level of nitrate in groundwater is harmful to health and costly to treat, but state and local governments have taken little action to regulate farming practices that lead to the contamination, a 2022 Flatwater Free Press investigation found.
Since the series ran, the Nebraska Legislature allocated funding to reward farmers who voluntarily reduce the amount of commercial nitrogen they put on fields. In 2023, the Legislature allocated $1 million to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy to collect data on nitrates in private household wells, and recommend solutions. NDEE provided free kits so residents could test their wells, and offered rebates of up to $4,000 for homeowners to install home water treatment systems.
In 2024, the Legislature appropriated $1 million for NDEE to install real-time nitrate sensors in monitoring wells statewide. Lawmakers also established a program that will pay farmers $10 an acre or more, starting in 2025, to cut back on fertilizer application.
And most recently, NDEE published the Nitrate in Drinking Water Study (https://dee.nebraska.gov/water/nitrate-drinking-water-study), providing further guidance to Nebraska communities on how to prevent and mitigate health risks.
ADDRESS/PHONE:
PO Box 31436
Omaha, NE 68131
402-302-0066
