LINCOLN, Neb. – Some Nebraska communities are considering using treated wastewater to irrigate crops as the drought worsens.
Gov. Mike Johanns was told that 28 small towns across the state have had permits for years that allow them to use treated wastewater to irrigate local crops. Mike Linder, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality, said other cities, including Lincoln, are considering getting permits to do the same as the drought drags on. “It’s just been random inquiries at this point,” Linder said at the governor’s Drought Mitigation Task Force meeting. “We need to make sure that they have the right type of treatment before they use it.”
Congress adjourned for its August break without acting on a drought package. Lawmakers will not return to Washington until after Labor Day. “It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t done before,” Johanns said.
Senate Democrats have backed a $5 billion emergency aid package for farmers and ranchers who are losing crops and livestock to the drought. Republicans are pushing an alternative that would cut that amount almost in half.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has said the disaster assistance bill will be the committee’s first order of business when it returns to Washington.
Johanns asked the federal government to declare the entire state of Nebraska a disaster area because of the drought.
To date, 26 Nebraska counties have received primary drought disaster designations, and another 11 were pending approval. Johanns’ letter asked that the remaining 56 counties be included.
The U.S. Drought Monitoring map indicated a large portion of western and southwest Nebraska is in an exceptional drought and most of the rest of the state is in an extreme drought. Many Nebraska cities are reporting some of their driest years and Scottsbluff is reporting its driest year ever. Fifty-five communities and rural districts are either banning or limiting the use of water outdoors.
Crops and pastures continue to be stressed despite some localized precipitation across the state in the past week.
The drought is expected to have an economic impact of $1.3 billion on Nebraska. The drought of 2000 had a $1.1 billion impact.
The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@landandlandscape.com.