LINCOLN — As part of a statewide study of nitrate pollution in Nebraska aquifers, the state is asking owners of private drinking water wells to conduct a free test of their water.

Widespread, public participation in the free sampling program is key to ensuring that the nitrate study accurately encompasses private drinking water wells in the state, according to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

NDEE has sent postcards to more than 29,000 registered domestic well owners across Nebraska, inviting them to participate in the NDEE’s study. The state doesn’t regularly test such private wells, unlike municipal wells.

The free sample kits and lab analyses are offered to all Nebraskans with a private drinking water well — not just those who received a postcard or have a registered well.

The free nitrate sample kits are available until Jan. 31 by accessing the website https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Lab-Price-List.aspx  or by calling NDEE at 1-402-471-2186.

The kits come with sampling instructions and prepaid return postage.

If a private well’s results are above 10 parts per million of nitrate, owners may be eligible for up to $4,000 in rebates to obtain a reserve osmosis treatment system.

Applications for the reverse osmosis (RO) system rebates must be submitted by June 30. Learn more about the RO Rebate Program on NDEE’s website: http://dee.ne.gov/Publica.nsf/pages/22-051.

Nitrate pollution in groundwater has been a long-running concern in Nebraska, where decades of use of nitrogen fertilizers and manure runoff from livestock operations have increased levels in aquifers.

The state has one of the highest rates of pediatric cancer in the nation, and nitrates in drinking water is one factor, according to state medical researchers.

Nitrates have also been linked to birth defects, other cancers and “blue baby syndrome,” where babies’ skin color changes and they become irritable or lethargic.

The state’s 2022 annual report on groundwater quality found that nearly 30% of the state’s public water systems — 157 out of 550 — were required to test nitrate levels four times a year due to concerns about high concentrations of nitrates.

The level deemed unsafe for drinking is 10 parts per million, and communities such as Hastings, Edgar, Trumbull and Creighton have had to spend millions for treatment or to pipe water in from other communities.

The groundwater study was authorized under a bill passed by the Legislature this spring. Legislative Bill 814 allocated $1 million to NDEE to hire a third-party consultant to collect data and develop a statewide plan to reduce nitrate in groundwater.

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.