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The USGS Nebraska Water Science Center is leading the way.

Nebraska Water Science Center

Our Nebraska Water Science Center priority is to continue the important work of the Department of the Interior and the USGS, while maintaining the health and safety of our employees and community.  Based on guidance from the White House, the CDC, and state and local authorities, we are shifting our operations to a virtual mode and have minimal staffing within our office.

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Water-quality sampling on the Dismal River near Thedford, Nebr.

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Virtual training prepared for the former Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water—Streamgaging, fluvial sediment sampling, bathymetry, and streamflow and sediment modeling

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a virtual training series for the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), now known as the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA), to provide critical hydrological training as an alternative to an in-person training. The USGS was scheduled to provide in-person surface-water training for NWARA during 2020; however, travel was halted bec
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Water Resources, Dakota Water Science Center, Nebraska Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, International Programs

Main-stem seepage and base-flow recession time constants in the Niobrara National Scenic River Basin, Nebraska, 2016–18

The Niobrara River of northern Nebraska is a valuable water resource that sustains irrigated agriculture and recreation, as well as a diverse ecosystem. Large-quantity withdrawals from the source aquifer system have the potential to reduce the flow into the river and to adversely affect the free-flowing condition of the Niobrara National Scenic River (NSR). Therefore, to understand the magnitude a
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Water Resources, Nebraska Water Science Center

Continuous turbidity data used to compute constituent concentrations in the South Loup River, Nebraska, 2017–18

The South Loup River in central Nebraska has been impaired by bacteria since at least 2004, which has resulted in the river not meeting its intended use as a recreational waterway. As part of a strategy for reducing the bacterial load in the river, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, made continuous estimates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and
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Water Resources, Nebraska Water Science Center
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Collecting water-quality samples from a bridge on the Elkhorn River near Waterloo, Nebr.

NAWQA Studies in Nebraska

In 1991, Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) to address where, when, why, and how the Nation's water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. Since then, NAWQA has been a leading source of scientific data and knowledge used by national, regional, state, and local agencies to develop science-based...
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Nebraska Water Science Center
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NAWQA Studies in Nebraska

In 1991, Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) to address where, when, why, and how the Nation's water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. Since then, NAWQA has been a leading source of scientific data and knowledge used by national, regional, state, and local agencies to develop science-based...
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Constructed chute along the Missouri River in Nebraska

Surveying and Monitoring Constructed Chutes on the Missouri River

The construction of side-channel chutes has emerged as one method for restoring Missouri River habitat through the introduction of slow velocity and shallow depth water areas. To better understand the processes that create and maintain this habitat, the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has completed hydrographic and topographic surveys of...
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Nebraska Water Science Center
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Surveying and Monitoring Constructed Chutes on the Missouri River

The construction of side-channel chutes has emerged as one method for restoring Missouri River habitat through the introduction of slow velocity and shallow depth water areas. To better understand the processes that create and maintain this habitat, the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has completed hydrographic and topographic surveys of...
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Collecting samples of sand along the bank of the Niobrara River, Nebr.

Can Sand from Reservoirs be Used as Proppant?

The USGS Nebraska Water Science Center is conducting a pilot study to determine whether sand from the Lewis and Clark Reservoir delta has the desired properties to be used as a proppant in unconventional oil and gas wells that receive hydraulic fracturing (fracking) treatment. Proppants are small particles that are part of the fracking fluid mixture injected into a well to hold open the fractures...
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Nebraska Water Science Center
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Can Sand from Reservoirs be Used as Proppant?

The USGS Nebraska Water Science Center is conducting a pilot study to determine whether sand from the Lewis and Clark Reservoir delta has the desired properties to be used as a proppant in unconventional oil and gas wells that receive hydraulic fracturing (fracking) treatment. Proppants are small particles that are part of the fracking fluid mixture injected into a well to hold open the fractures...
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