Wastewater irrigation

NWU Radio Script

4-2-01

When water is scarce creativity sets in and at least two Nebraska communities are putting their creativity in action.

Alliance has found a way to use wastewater from its sewage treatment plant to provide benefits both to the city and cattlemen.

Wastewater is pumped from the city's sewage settling ponds and used to irrigate 320 acres of city-owned land just east of town. In keeping with the city's cattle growing heritage, that land is leased for cattle grazing.

"It's a good way to dispose of the water," said Alliance City Manager Wally Baird in an Associated Press article. "We don't have to run it into a river to get rid of it and we get a little income from the grazing fees."

As the water is sprayed onto the soil it is aerated, which removes ammonia from the fluid so less percolates into the groundwater, he said.

The income from the lease offsets costs that would otherwise be incurred by the city, and the system allows useful production of the land.

Irrigating city land with the wastewater is a better way to dispose of it than running it into rivers and streams, officials said.

Chadron uses a similar process to remove excess wastewater from the city's sewage lagoons, notes public works director Milo Rust. There a farmer with land next to the settling ponds pumps the water through a center pivot irrigation system onto his fields.

The city does not charge a fee for the water but is saved the expense of removing the excess water.

Gering is thinking about using treated wastewater for irrigation, similar to the plan already in place at Alliance.

But a group of Melbeta area residents near Gering is opposing the plan to irrigate with wastewater.

Council members said they were looking into the matter and at this time no decision had been made.

                                                          -30-