Guideline for Groundwater Monitoring Plans at Livestock Waste Control Facilities
This guidance document is advisory in nature but is binding on an agency until amended by such agency. A guidance document does not include internal procedural documents that only affect the internal operations of the agency and does not impose additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties or include confidential information or rules and regulations made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. If you believe that this guidance document imposes additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties, you may request a review of the document.

Form #: 03-002 Guidance Documents Revised: 6/29/23

Guideline for Ground Water
Monitoring Plans
at Livestock Waste Control Facilities


nvestigations into local geologic and ground water conditions adjacent to some livestock operations livestock waste storage structures or livestock waste control facilities (LWCFs) may indicate that a potential for ground water impact exists. Some of the conditions found to be important include shallow depth to water, sandy or coarse-grained sediments, very permeable subsurface sediments, existing ground water quality, and/or use of the ground water as a drinking water source (domestic or municipal).

This Guideline is set up in a question and answer format for quick reference. The Guideline is intended for the owner/operator of the livestock operation, the consulting engineer, or other consultant to help them as they develop and implement a Ground Water Monitoring Plan (GWMP) that includes the Sampling and Analysis Plan for LWCFs. An attempt has been made to list applicable state regulations. Reasonable and well-defined plans will be considered, even if they do not correspond directly to this Guideline. Semi-annual ground water monitoring reports generated as a result of the GWMP are considered legal documents.

This Guideline builds on Chapter 13, “Ground Water Monitoring”, of Title 130, Livestock Waste Control Regulations. Please refer to Chapter 13 if you have specific questions.


NOTE: Ground Water monitoring will not be required for Small and Medium animal feeding operations (AFO), unless one or more of the following have occurred (Title 130, Chapter 13, Section 002):

1. A spill or non-permitted release from the facility,

2. The Department determines that percolation from the facility exceeds the allowable percolation rate, or

3. Any other circumstance that the Department determines may impact ground water quality.


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Contacts for information
on Ground Water Monitoring at Livestock Operations

NDEE Water Well Standards and
Contractor’s Licensing Program


402-471-0546


NDEE Livestock Waste Control
Facility Permitting
402-471-4239


NDEE Ground Water Monitoring
402-471-4982


Well Registration
Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
402-471-2363
https://dnr.nebraska.gov/groundwater


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Additional questions?

Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Agriculture Section
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, NE 68509-8922

Phone: (402) 471-4239



Visit our website: http://dee.ne.gov
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