Landscape Architect Articles

Nebraska‚Äö?Ñ?¥s Old Windmills, Wells Pose Water Threat06-22-07 | News

Nebraska?EUR??,,????'???s Old Windmills, Wells Pose Water Threat

At the turn of the last century windmills helped solve the era's water problems by powering pumps to bring water to the surface. Nebraskans used windmills to power feed grinders and to pump water for gardens, livestock, irrigation.

Many of Nebraska’s once useful windmills and their adjoining wells, utilized to help with irrigation and power, are now deteriorating and creating a route for surface contaminates to be transferred directly into the groundwater. Contaminates can include fertilizers, pesticides or organic waste. Many of these unused wells do not meet current state water safety standards and are considered illegal wells.

Nebraska law requires that illegal wells be decommissioned by a licensed Nebraska Well Contractor. The decommissioning process includes removing the pumps piping and other equipment, disinfection, sealing, filling, capping, and reporting the work. The windmill itself can be kept for decoration or yard light support.

In the Shell Creek Watershed 14 out-of-service wells were decommissioned during 2005 and 2006 at an average cost of $313 per well. In some areas of the Shell Creek Watershed 100 percent of the cost can be provided by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

You can learn more about these programs by contacting Eric Smith, NRCS Shell Creek Coordinator at 402-564-0506, Extension 3; or Rod Wilke, Extension Project Coordinator at 402-370-4074.

Source: www.columbustelegram.com