Hydrogeologic Framework And Water Balance Investigation of Land near the Gothenburg Canal System

The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) requested that Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) develop a local hydrogeologic framework and conceptual water budget for a parcel of land near a segment of canal in the Gothenburg Canal System to determine likely sources of ponded surface water that are ephemerally present on the parcel. The study seeks to assess the parcel scale water budget and to better understand the parcel-scale hydrology and hydrogeology. The object of this project is to provide reliable information to NPPD and its customers along a small portion of the canal. Information from this report may influence, or be incorporated into, NPPD’s canal water accounting and operations tools. This publication also describes sources, methods, limitations, and recommendations for future work to improve rigor and/or limit uncertainties

Informing water use decision-making for waterfowl and agricultural production on a ranch along the North Platte River, Nebraska

In 2014, operators of a ranch along the North Platte River approached Conservation and Survey Division seeking expertise to interpret data collected on their ranch. The interpretations inform ranch decisions to accomplish operators’ goals. This publication documents the work by: 1) characterizing the ranch, 2) summarizing data collected, 3) characterizing hydrogeology of the site and the adjacent reach, and 4) conceptualizing groundwater/surface water interaction. The ranch is a recreation property and a migratory waterfowl refuge with a few general goals: 1) develop and maintain high-quality wet meadow habitat, 2) maximize the extent and duration of surface water on the property in existing wet meadows, sloughs, and ponds, and 3) maintain a level of agricultural production that can be used to mitigate costs. An adaptive program of data collection and synthesis was developed and implemented from 2014 to 2019. It is ongoing. Groundwater data collection began in 2014. Weather and stream data collection began in 2015. Weather data was served to the internet in 2016. Radio telemetry was added to groundwater and stream data in 2017 and discontinued in 2018. Summaries of collected synthesized data began quarterly and currently occur monthly. The observation network at the ranch currently generates about 15,000 records a month at seven locations. Hydraulic relationships at the ranch are more complex than initially conceptualized. Water table configuration indicates flow in unexpected directions, groundwater response sometimes precedes surface water response to precipitation, and stress responses can vary seasonally. Stream/groundwater response to precipitation is distinctly non-linear. The vadose zone is generally thin, yet may have significant influence on observations. The ranch has successfully developed diverse habitat features on the site including wet meadows, ephemeral stream channels, sloughs, grassy and woody hummocks, and ponded areas. These areas are populated by varieties of ducks, geese and herons, as well as many other riparian, woodland, and grassland species, including beneficial invertebrates. Culverts have been installed along many of the channels and sloughs such that the water level in upstream segments can be managed to change the stream or slough stage in reaches where water is flowing. The groundwater/surface water storage dynamic can therefore be managed to maximize habitat and wildlife benefits as well as groundwater storage and return flow. Much work remains

Petroleum Pipelines—Facts and Safety

Since 2005, increased United States oil and natural gas production and increased oil output from Canadian oil sands has outpaced existing transportation infrastructure. As a result, there are plans to increase both natural gas and oil pipelines in the U.S. Although increased production of hydrocarbons has economic benefit, there are concerns about leaks and spills from petroleum pipelines and their potential environmental impacts. There has been particular concern about protecting Nebraska’s water resources from possible leaks of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline extension, the permit application for which was denied by the U.S. Department of State on November 6, 2015. TransCanada responded to this action by initiating an international arbitration case in January 2016, under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Regardless of one’s viewpoint of the Keystone XL project proposal, petroleum pipelines are an undeniably important part of our transportation infrastructure. They provide heat for homes, fuel for transportation, and chemicals used to produce products ranging from fertilizer to plastics. According to the Nebraska Pipeline Association, there are more than 25 million miles (40 million kilometers) of petroleum pipelines in the United States, and these pipelines are operated by more than 3,000 companies. Nebraska Pipeline Association member companies alone operate more than 102,000 miles (164,000 kilometers) of transmission pipeline in the state and do business in 80 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Residential natural gas distribution pipelines are ever-present in much of the U.S. and distribute natural gas to customers in 79 counties in Nebraska. Large interstate petroleum transmission lines cross under large parts of Nebraska and surrounding states (Figure 1)

Hydrogeologic Framework Studies of Portions of the Niobrara River

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) and Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD) expressed interest in improving understanding and their ability to effectively manage water resources in and around a particular reach of the Niobrara River. Aquifer-thickness contours mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) indicate that the principle aquifer has zero thickness in this area. Additionally, the statewide geologic bedrock map produced by CSD shows non-aquifer strata of the White River Group along the same reach, and this setting is consistent with the designation of an “aquifer absent area,” as in the present document. Water-management policy development and decisions are complicated by the apparently conflicting presence of registered irrigation wells in the aquifer absent area. This apparent conflict warranted a detailed review of local hydrogeology to improve the available science on which the UNWNRD and NeDNR will base any controls within an integrated water management plan

Results of Test-Hole Drilling for Observation Well Planning in the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, Spring 2017

The High Plains Aquifer underlies much of Nebraska. It is the primary source of groundwater within the Lower Loup Natural Resources District (LLNRD) of central Nebraska. Water derived from the aquifer is an important natural resource for the area and supplies water for recreation, wildlife and agriculture, as well as domestic, municipal, and industrial uses. Falling spring water levels measured in existing observation and irrigation wells have raised concerns about possible changes in water availability, groundwater-surface water relationships and water quality in the area, prompting the LLNRD to propose test holes and the collection of additional groundwater data in the region

Mapping the Base of the High Plains Aquifer using Borehole Geophysical Logs and Airborne Electromagnetic Surveys in Western Nebraska

The project scanned and reviewed data from 15,421 oil and gas well geophysical logs in 13 counties to delineate the base of aquifer and thickness of the High Plains Aquifer (HPA). The data and interpretations from this study can be used in a regional groundwater modeling effort that includes the Western Water Use Management Modeling (WWUMM) and the and the Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) model. The area studied is in the Upper Platte River Basin. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) has designated most of the area as either overappropriated or fully appropriated, where groundwater is managed jointly by both local Natural Resources Districts and the NeDNR. Improved maps of the base of the aquifer can also help the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (NOGCC) in establishing minimum surface casing depths to protect groundwater when oil and gas wells are being drilled. Data from the scanned logs can also be used by the general public to explore for groundwater where the HPA is thin or absent and another aquifer may be present

Informing water use decision-making for waterfowl and agricultural production on a ranch along the North Platte River, Nebraska

In 2014, operators of a ranch along the North Platte River approached Conservation and Survey Division seeking expertise to interpret data collected on their ranch. The interpretations inform ranch decisions to accomplish operators’ goals. This publication documents the work by: 1) characterizing the ranch, 2) summarizing data collected, 3) characterizing hydrogeology of the site and the adjacent reach, and 4) conceptualizing groundwater/surface water interaction. The ranch is a recreation property and a migratory waterfowl refuge with a few general goals: 1) develop and maintain high-quality wet meadow habitat, 2) maximize the extent and duration of surface water on the property in existing wet meadows, sloughs, and ponds, and 3) maintain a level of agricultural production that can be used to mitigate costs. An adaptive program of data collection and synthesis was developed and implemented from 2014 to 2019. It is ongoing. Groundwater data collection began in 2014. Weather and stream data collection began in 2015. Weather data was served to the internet in 2016. Radio telemetry was added to groundwater and stream data in 2017 and discontinued in 2018. Summaries of collected synthesized data began quarterly and currently occur monthly. The observation network at the ranch currently generates about 15,000 records a month at seven locations. Hydraulic relationships at the ranch are more complex than initially conceptualized. Water table configuration indicates flow in unexpected directions, groundwater response sometimes precedes surface water response to precipitation, and stress responses can vary seasonally. Stream/groundwater response to precipitation is distinctly non-linear. The vadose zone is generally thin, yet may have significant influence on observations. The ranch has successfully developed diverse habitat features on the site including wet meadows, ephemeral stream channels, sloughs, grassy and woody hummocks, and ponded areas. These areas are populated by varieties of ducks, geese and herons, as well as many other riparian, woodland, and grassland species, including beneficial invertebrates. Culverts have been installed along many of the channels and sloughs such that the water level in upstream segments can be managed to change the stream or slough stage in reaches where water is flowing. The groundwater/surface water storage dynamic can therefore be managed to maximize habitat and wildlife benefits as well as groundwater storage and return flow. Much work remains

Petroleum Pipelines—Facts and Safety

Since 2005, increased United States oil and natural gas production and increased oil output from Canadian oil sands has outpaced existing transportation infrastructure. As a result, there are plans to increase both natural gas and oil pipelines in the U.S. Although increased production of hydrocarbons has economic benefit, there are concerns about leaks and spills from petroleum pipelines and their potential environmental impacts. There has been particular concern about protecting Nebraska’s water resources from possible leaks of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline extension, the permit application for which was denied by the U.S. Department of State on November 6, 2015. TransCanada responded to this action by initiating an international arbitration case in January 2016, under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Regardless of one’s viewpoint of the Keystone XL project proposal, petroleum pipelines are an undeniably important part of our transportation infrastructure. They provide heat for homes, fuel for transportation, and chemicals used to produce products ranging from fertilizer to plastics. According to the Nebraska Pipeline Association, there are more than 25 million miles (40 million kilometers) of petroleum pipelines in the United States, and these pipelines are operated by more than 3,000 companies. Nebraska Pipeline Association member companies alone operate more than 102,000 miles (164,000 kilometers) of transmission pipeline in the state and do business in 80 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Residential natural gas distribution pipelines are ever-present in much of the U.S. and distribute natural gas to customers in 79 counties in Nebraska. Large interstate petroleum transmission lines cross under large parts of Nebraska and surrounding states (Figure 1)

Hydrogeologic Framework Studies of Portions of the Niobrara River

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) and Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD) expressed interest in improving understanding and their ability to effectively manage water resources in and around a particular reach of the Niobrara River. Aquifer-thickness contours mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) indicate that the principle aquifer has zero thickness in this area. Additionally, the statewide geologic bedrock map produced by CSD shows non-aquifer strata of the White River Group along the same reach, and this setting is consistent with the designation of an “aquifer absent area,” as in the present document. Water-management policy development and decisions are complicated by the apparently conflicting presence of registered irrigation wells in the aquifer absent area. This apparent conflict warranted a detailed review of local hydrogeology to improve the available science on which the UNWNRD and NeDNR will base any controls within an integrated water management plan

Geology and Hydrogeology of Northeastern Nebraska: Geology, Water Management and Geological Hazards, Nebraska Geological Society Field Trip 2021

The 2021 Nebraska Geological Society field trip will provide an overview of the geology and hydrogeology of northeast Nebraska, the groundwater quality and quantity issues unique to the region, water management issues and decision-making, and ongoing work relating to water quality and geologic (hydrostratigraphic) framework, along the lower Niobrara and Missouri rivers Between Spencer Dam and Homer Nebraska. This program will be comprised of an auto tour with multiple stops on Saturday October 16 through Monday October 18 as illustrated in Map 1. The tour will begin with an examination of the Spencer Dam site and several locations in and around Niobrara State Park. Day 2 will see participants visiting water infrastructure and aquifer framework projects in the region, as well as locations with outstanding geology and features from geological hazards (flooding and landslides). Participants will complete the trip by examining a Carlile Shale outcrop south of Vermillion, SD, visiting a historical site with geological significance, and conclude by examining older sedimentary strata found in Ponca State Park and an outcrop of Dakota Sandstone in Homer, NE with a discussion relating to its significance as an aquifer in eastern Nebraska