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State senator says water task force good news for future of water in Nebraska

A Nebraska state senator says a new water task force could play a key role in addressing the state’s nitrate contamination issue.

Tom Brandt, a farmer from Plymouth, tells Brownfield, “We have a tremendous problem of nitrates from one end of the state to the other. We need to identify what the problem is, identify a solution for the problem and implement the solution.”

He says it’s one of the top concerns he receives as the Natural Resources Committee chairmen and identifying the source must be part of the conversation. “Are we going to pinpoint if this came from commercial fertilizers? Did it come fertilizers applied in urban or rural areas? Did it come from manure? It is naturally occurring? Or, it could be all of the above?”

Governor Jim Pillen appointed the “Water Quality and Quantity Task Force” earlier this year, and Brandt says the group could have results within a year.