Deadline Extended For Grant Program To Remove Nitrates From Private Wells

From Nebraska Examiner:

By Paul Hammel

April 17, 2023

LINCOLN — Grant funds have gone unclaimed, so a state agency has extended the deadline for Nebraskans with high nitrate levels in private wells to obtain rebates to finance reverse osmosis systems.

Only 92 applications were received by a March 31 deadline for the $1.2 million available for the program.

So the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy has extended the deadline and will consider applications until the funds run out.

State rebates of up to $4,000 are available to owners of private wells with drinking water that tests above 10 parts per million (ppm) of nitrate, the level deemed hazardous to humans.

Applicants must ensure that their well is registered with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, and show, via water quality data from the state laboratory, that their well water tests above 10 ppm. Tests can be dated no earlier than Jan. 1, 2022.

Applicants must submit a cost estimate from a qualified plumber or installer. NDEE will issue rebates after successful installation of a reverse osmosis system and a water test.

Requirements and application forms for the Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program can be found on NDEE’s website.

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