Progress needed to protect water

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The state of Nebraska deserves credit for making substantial progress in reducing its backlog of out-of-date water pollution permits despite a small budget and limited staff. But the number of out-of-date permits is still large enough to make people wonder whether the state's lakes, rivers and streams are adequately protected.

Last year about 325 permits were out of date; 75 of those had expired more than 10 years ago.

The permits are issued to city wastewater treatment plants, feedlots, meatpacking plants, food processing plants, power plants, ethanol plants and other operations.

Now the number of expired permits is down to about 275, and the number of permits that expired 10 years or more ago has been cut to 26. Most of those are city wastewater treatment plants.

Officials continued to enforce the permits even though they had expired. But federal officials with the Environmental Protection Agency point out that old permits might have been issued under weaker standards. "The old permit may have old language for toxicity limits. If you don't have a good protective permit on the street, then there's nothing to enforce."

A related weakness in Nebraska's system for protecting water quality in lakes, streams and rivers is a bare-bones system for monitoring water quality. Monitoring allows the state to track the level of pollution in Nebraska water.

A 2001 legislative report recommended changes that would cost $3.5 million annually. Some of the improvements have been accomplished with federal money, but the Legislature has not been able to provide additional money.

Nebraskans already are aware of various dangers in their water supplies. Pregnant women and infants in various communities have been told not to consume public drinking water that contains high levels of nitrates. Children under 15 and pregnant or nursing women have been warned not to eat fish from several Nebraska lakes because of mercury contamination.

Until the need to protect the quality of the state's water is given a higher priority, Nebraskans understandably might wonder what other dangerous substances might be in the water where they swim and boat, or in the drinking water they get from the kitchen faucet.