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Water Quality

Nebraska's Safe Drinking Water Act

The National Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), signed into law Dec. 16, 1974 and strengthened by amendments in 1986 and 1996, protects human health by regulating the nation?s public drinking water supply. The responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water is divided among the U.S. EPA, states, tribes, water systems, and the public. The SDWA requires the U.S. EPA to set standards on drinking water contaminants that public water systems are required to meet. This included about 10 standards in the 1970s to more than 90 standards today.

The Nebraska Safe Drinking Water Act mimics this federal regulation.? Nebraska?s drinking water program has 1,375 public water systems, serving most of its 1.7 million residents. Ground water is the source for most of Nebraska?s drinking water. Only five public water systems in the state get their drinking water from surface water sources.

The Environmental Risk Assessment Program answers inquiries from the public concerning any potential health effects associated with contaminates in drinking water, via the telephone, e-mail, and public meetings, and provides assistance to the Drinking Water Program with questions regarding drinking water contamination, risk communication, and other general risk assessment concerns.

 

To be directed to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Service's Nebraska's Public Water Supply Program homepage.

Check out The Water Spout published by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.

If you have a concern about water quality, please contact your local Natural Resource Department to discuss testing and available options:

North Platte Natural Resource District (Banner County, Garden County, Morrill County, Scotts Bluff County, southern Sioux County): www.npnrd.org
South Platte Natural Resources District (Kimball County, Cheyenne County, Deuel County): www.spnrd.org
Upper Loup Natural Resource District (Grant County): www.upperloupnrd.org
Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District (Box Butte County, Dawes County, Sheridan County, Sioux County): www.unwnrd.org

Reviewed: April 1, 2019