North Bend water nitrates non-detectable

by Mary Le Arneal
Published 1/11/23

Nitrate levels in water have been linked to high cancer rates in certain areas of Nebraska, but tests show that North Bend’s water is safe from nitrate contamination.

The Flatwater Free Press, an independent, non-profit newsroom recently did a series of stories on nitrate levels found in the state’s water.

High nitrate levels in drinking water is linked to colorectal cancer, thyroid disease, neural tube birth defects, and pediatric cancer. Nebraska has the seventh-highest pediatric cancer rate in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers have found that areas of the state that have high pediatric cancer rates also have high nitrate levels.

University of Nebraska Medical Center researcher Eleanor Rogan believes the water that children drink should have a nitrate level less that 3 parts per million (ppm). Testing of North Bend’s water reported nitrate level as non-detectable, when means it is less than 0.05 ppm, according to Mike Adair of PeopleService, the company that monitors the water in North Bend and operates its water system. The local water was last tested on March 19, 2022, and is tested every five years.

“Since this was below the report limit,” Adair said, “It was not included in the Water Quality Report.”

The Water Quality Report is published in the Eagle annually, most recently on May 25, 2022.

The state only tests municipalities water.

A lab director a the UNL Nebraska Water Center, Dan Snow, says his lab consistently shows the majority of nitrate comes from commercial fertilizers spread on lawns, golf courses and corn fields. It is particularly threatening to those living near river valleys in central and northeast Nebraska according to well data.

The only way to remove nitrates from water is to install a complex filtration system. Many cities, such as Creighton, Seward and Hastings, have spent millions installing reverse osmosis treatment systems. They are expensive even for the homeowner.

Nautral Resource Districts have been taking painstaking steps toward battling nitrates. They offer testing to private citizens at https://www.nebraska.gov/dhhs/water-test-kits/private.html.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy received a $1.2 million grant for private well reverse osmosis systems. The rebates are available to property owners with private wells with drinking water that show nitrate levels above 10 ppm. For information or applications go to http://dee.ne.gov/Publica.nsf/pages/22-051 or call State Revolving Fund Section Supervisor Steve McNulty at 402-471-4200. The application period for private well property owners closes March 31, 2023. Installations and follow-up testing needs to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024.

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