G96-1282 Drinking Water: Man-made Chemicals

This NebGuide discusses recommended practices to manage man-made chemicals in a domestic water supply. Many Nebraskans are concerned about the effects some of the man-made chemicals that have become part of everyday life may have on their water supply. As the name implies, these chemicals do not exist in nature but were made by man. With proper storage and use of these chemicals and with proper well construction, the risks to groundwater from the chemicals are low and the benefits are many. In some areas of the state, however, industrial solvents, manufacturing chemicals, ammunition wastes, pesticides and grain fumigants have been detected in groundwater. In many cases the sources of the contamination could be identified, clean-ups are underway, and alternative water supplies are being used. Often the contamination occurred many years ago