The Holt County Groundwater Education Program (HCGEP) is the brainchild of several individuals from the University of Nebraska Lincoln Northeast Research and Extension Center (NEREC) and Holt County Extension Office. Those individuals, together with the Upper Elkhorn and Lower Niobrara Natural Resources Districts, University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division and the Natural Resources Conservation Services and developed a concept for demonstrating and educating the people of northern Holt County about nitrogen-nitrate contamination of groundwater. The HCGEP is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Nebraska Department Of Environmental Quality.
Why does the HCGEP exist?
Nitrate-nitrogen contamination of groundwater was first detected in Holt County, Nebraska in the mid-1960's (Engberg, 1967). Recent monitoring has documented continued deterioration of water quality due to nitrate-nitrogen contamination (Exner and Spalding, 1979, Spalding and Exner, 1991).
The primary cause for this upward trend in nitrate-nitrogen concentrations is nonpoint source pollution (NPS) from leaching of commercial, nitrogen-based agricultural fertilizers (Exner and Spalding, 1979, Chen and Druliner, 1987). Fertilizer leaching is accelerated in Holt County by sandy soils, high water tables and intensive irrigated agriculture.
The project oversees four quarter section demonstration sites in northern Holt County. These sites will be maintained for five years in corn under center pivot irrigation. The cooperating corn producers are encouraged to use irrigation and nitrogen BMPs. The demo sites are intensively monitored for nitrate - nitrogen in the soil and water. Farming and sampling results are shared with agricultural producers at field and coffee shop meetings. Information from the demo sites and other sources are desiminated through a quarterly newsletter "The Wellhead" and local news articles.
The project has developed a traveling display that talks about Nonpoint Source Pollution in northern Holt County defining NPS and the special conditions of the area that created the contamination of groundwater as well as what can be done to correct the problem. Public meetings are held several times each year where speakers are brought in to present information and answer questions. Various radio shows are produced and aired regarding BMPs and NPS. Case studies of area producers who have successfully used BMPs. are delivered through the award winning "Best Management Practices Update" carried on two radio stations. "The Crop Water Use Report" carried on three northeast Nebraska stations, delivers Evapotransporation information of various crops daily throughout the growing season. This information is used by area producers to determine irrigation scheduling, one important BMP. The project maintains a site on the World Wide Web as a method of getting the word out. Pivot Points are developed (Little three sided pyramids with groundwater information and quizzes) that will be located on resturant tables (like specality menus). Again another method of getting the word out.
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