Title 196 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Chapter 1 - DEFINITIONS
001 "Background" means the levels of chemical, physical, biological, and radiological constituents or parameters prior to an activity or pollution event, as determined by methods acceptable to the Department.
002 "Beneficial use" means any ground water quality dependent use deemed beneficial by the Department. Beneficial uses of ground water include, but are not limited to, drinking water (municipal and domestic), irrigation, livestock watering, industrial and commercial purposes, and maintaining assigned beneficial uses of surface water.
003 "Best management practice" means schedules of activities, maintenance procedures, and other management practices utilized to prevent or reduce present and future contamination of ground water which may include irrigation scheduling, proper timing of fertilizer and pesticide application, and other fertilizer and pesticide management programs.
004 "Department" means the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
005 "Director" means the Director of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality or his or her designee.
006 "District" means a natural resources district created pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 2-3203.
007 "Ground water contamination" means nitrate-nitrogen or other material which enters the ground water due to action of any person and causes degradation of the quality of ground water sufficient to make such ground water unsuitable for present or reasonably foreseeable beneficial uses.
008 "Management area" means any area so designated by a district pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §46-656.20 or by the Director of Environmental Quality pursuant to §46-656.39 for the management of ground water quality. Management area shall include a special ground water quality protection area designated prior to July 19, 1996.
009 "Nonpoint source" means any source of pollution other than those defined as a point source.
010 “Person” means a natural person, a partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a corporation, a municipality, an irrigation district, an agency or a political subdivision of the state, or a department, an agency, or a bureau of the United States.
011 "Point source" means any discernible confined and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to, any pipe, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, vessel, other floating craft, or any other conveyance, over which the Department has regulatory authority and from which a substance which can cause or contribute to contamination of ground water is or may be discharged.
012 "Political subdivision" means villages, cities of all classes, counties, school districts, public power districts, natural resources districts, and all other units of local government.
013 "Pollutant" means any gas, liquid, or solid introduced into the ground water that causes pollution.
014 "Pollution" means the man-made or man-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of water.
Enabling Legislation: Neb. Rev. Stat §§ 46-656.03 through 46-656.04
Legal Citation: Title 196, Ch. 1, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
1200 "N" Street, Suite 400
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509
(402) 471-2186