Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 9

Interpreting Test Reports of Ground Water Monitoring Wells at Livestock Waste Control Facilities Some livestock waste control facilities that are required to have an operating permit by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) are also required to install ground water monitoring wells adjacent to the waste control facility. Ground water monitoring requirements are decided on site-specific considerations. Generally, ground water monitoring may be required where the depth to water is shallow, sediments are sandy, the livestock facility is located in a public water supply’s Wellhead Protection Area, or any combination of these and other factors listed in Chapter 13 of Title 130 of the Nebraska Administrative Code. At a minimum, one well is installed up-gradient and at least two wells down-gradient from the waste storage facility. NDEQ has published a Guidance Document that details how these wells are to be constructed and tested. It specifies that these wells are to be sampled twice a year, spring and fall. NDEQ staff review monitoring well test results and base decisions on any actions to be taken on the results, on site characteristics, and on studies done in Nebraska and other states