Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/655200
The ruling by a 5-4 margin was is- sued prior to Justice Antonin Scalia's death and was considered rare action to be taken by the Supreme Court. The case is scheduled to be heard at the U.S. Court of Appeals in June and could end up on next year's Supreme Court docket. NGWA is developing tools to help stakeholders realize the benefits of using geothermal heat pumps as a means to meet state greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Report Shows Nebraska Groundwater Levels Rising T he 2015 Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report reveals much of the state is beginning to recover from the 2012-2013 drought. From spring 2014 to spring 2015, water levels began to rise after signifi- cant declines during an extended drought from early 2012 through sum- mer 2013. Precipitation above normal for much of Nebraska and better water- use practices accounted for the rises. The average change from spring 2014 to spring 2015 was a rise of little over one-half foot. Although these one-year rises are good, many parts of the state remain below 2012 levels, according to the re- port. Eastern Nebraska saw some of the largest rises—some wells recording rises of 10 to 15 feet. These rises are the result of above-average precipitation and reduced need for irrigation pump- ing. Other notable areas of rises of 1 foot to more than 10 feet occurred in Nebraska's central panhandle and three nearby counties to the east. It was expected spring 2016 water levels will continue to rise throughout much of the state as was seen in spring 2015, particularly in eastern Nebraska where flooding was common. For more information, visit http:// news.unl.edu/newsrooms/unltoday/ article/report-shows-groundwater- levels-on-the-rise. The maps referred to in the weblink represent conditions as of late March and early April 2015 and do not take into account some of the record-setting precipitation events in eastern Nebraska in spring and summer 2015. Water Systems Council Prints New The Water Systems Council pub- lished a new Well Owner's Manual available for free to well owners across the United States. The 32-page manual includes sec- tions on water well systems, well main- tenance, selecting a well contractor, protecting your wellhead, water well testing, and understanding water well test results. Copies of the manual are being dis- tributed by the Water Systems Council as well as each of the six Rural Commu- nity Assistance Partnership regional offices. Those offices can be found on the RCAP website at rcap.org/regions. Well owners can order a free hard copy of the Well Owner's Manual by sending an email to cgreenstreet@ watersystemscouncil.org or download a PDF of the manual from the WSC at www.watersystemscouncil.org/well- owners/well-owners-manual. NEWS from page 9 waterwelljournal.com 10 April 2016 WWJ