"Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water" is a ten-part investigative series from NET Radio exploring water quality issues in Nebraska. The series began in May 2004 and culminated in May 2005 with a 30-minute radio documentary followed by a one-hour radio call-in show. The show featured a panel of experts including Marty Link, associate director of the Water Quality Division at the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, Jack Daniel of the state Health and Human Services System's Environmental Health Services Section and sociologist Randy Cantrell from UNL’s Rural Initiative.

The first half of the series explores the impact of the 30-year-old Safe Drinking Water Act on the state. The Act requires public water systems to test for 86 different contaminants such as nitrate and arsenic. The series looks at some of the costs and obstacles communities face in bringing their water systems into compliance. Stories come from communities like Grand Island, McCook, O'Neill and Stromsburg.

Nitrate -- a widespread pollutant in the state's groundwater -- can cause serious health problems. In the spring of 2004, 17 public drinking water systems exceeded the federal standard of 10 parts per million of nitrate. Reporter Carolyn Johnsen explains what farmers, communities, the state Department of Health and Human Services and Natural Resource Districts are doing to reduce nitrate pollution -- a problem that took decades to develop and may take decades to solve.

The series also examines how University of Nebraska researchers are helping 75 communities prepare to meet arsenic standards due to take effect in 2006. In the second half of the series, reporter Sarah McCammon looks primarily at two rural communities, Shelby and Stromsburg, who are working together to get ready for the new regulations.

The series includes interviews with farmers and other consumers, local and state health and environmental officials, regulators at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others concerned with drinking water quality.

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Nebraska Connects: What's In Your Water? Part Three
(5-26-04) Scientists have concluded that certain levels of arsenic in drinking water can cause skin, bladder and lung cancer. They say it can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. Consequently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will reduce the allowable level of arsenic in drinking water from the current 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. For our series, "Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water?" Carolyn Johnsen reports on the new rule's effect on some rural communities in Nebraska.

Nebraska Connects: What's In Your Water? Part Four
(5-27-04) In parts of rural Nebraska, the quality of the groundwater is so good that communities have been able to avoid expensive treatment systems. But, hard-to-solve contamination problems have led some small towns to collaborate in providing safe drinking water. For the NPRN series, "Nebraska Connects: What's In Your Water?" Carolyn Johnsen reports.

Nebraska Connects: What's In Your Water? Part Five
(5-28-04) Nearly 20 percent of Nebraskans depend on private wells for their drinking water. Routine sampling shows that 15 percent of them are contaminated with coliform bacteria or have high nitrate levels, or both. As part of the NPRN series "Nebraska Connects: What's In Your Water" Carolyn Johnsen reports on how private well owners can ensure safe drinking water.

Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water? Part Six
(12-29-04)The rural towns of Shelby and Stromsburg near Columbus are working together to solve drinking water problems that affect both communities. The towns are among 75 Nebraska communities that are preparing to meet arsenic standards that will go into effect in 2006.

Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water? Part Seven
(12-30-04) Several high school students from Shelby Public School are working with adults from their community to prepare for new arsenic regulations that go into effect in 2006. In the process, they're learning about the importance of safe drinking water to their rural Columbus-area community.

Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water? Part Eight
(3-9-05) Shelby and Stromsburg sort through their options for bringing their water into compliance with the EPA's new arsenic standard. Officials say the two communities will likely set a precedent for other Nebraska towns and cities who are also dealing with arsenic in their drinking water.

Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water? Part Nine
(3-24-05) A pilot project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is cleaning up contaminated groundwater in the southeast Nebraska town of Utica and using it to restore a nearby wetland that has been in decline because of farming and drought. Officials hope the project will be a model for other communities faced with groundwater contamination and water shortages.

Nebraska Connects: What's in Your Water? Part Ten
(5-24-05) With just months to go before the EPA's lower arsenic standard takes effect, Shelby and Stromsburg are looking for new drinking water sources and beginning to talk about sharing a wellfield. Regulators say collaboration between residents of Nebraska's small towns is often key in finding economically viable solutions to water quality problems.

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Partial funding has been granted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Leadership for Institutional Change initiative, a participant in the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's national program.

The Community Partners are: University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, UNL Water Resources Initiative and University of Nebraska Rural Initiative.