Wednesday, October 19, 1977
page 2
daily nebraskan
Drought, soil, pollution among Nebraskan concerns
i By Mike Schmoldt
The environmental problems most important to Ne
braskans are water shortages, soil quality and water pol
lution, a survey indicates.
The fourth part of the first Nebraska Annual Social
Indicators Survey dealing with environmental issues was
released Wednesday. It was conducted by the UNL Bureau
of Sociological Research and reported that recognition of
problems seemed linked to the location in which the sur
vey participants lived.
People in Omaha and Lincoln said they believed air
pollution, water pollution and natural resource depletion
to be much more of a problem than did other residents of
the state.
The fact that those aware of these problems are the
younger, more active and educated citizens of the state
means the environmental issue will receive more much
needed attention in the future," those who prepared the
report said. It was made by UNL political science profes
sor Susan Welch and sociology professor Alan Booth.
When the survey was conducted, before the wet sum
mer and fall in most parts or Nebraska, more than two-
thirds of the sample believed water shortage to be a
problem.
Lincolnites were more likely to see it as a local prob
lem than any other group, including farmers and other
rural dwellers.
The 59 percent of the lincolnites who saw drought a
problem were justified in their concern. The drought con
tinued in southeast Nebraska throughout the summer
months.
Director of the UNL Conservation Survey Division,
Vincent Dreeszer said drought has been a major worry of
Nebraskans for the past 2& years. He said before recent
wet weather, the state experienced a near-panic situation.
He said people wanted simple solutions to problems like
dry streams which were caused for the most part by a
simple lack of adequate rainfall.
He said the problem has not been cured, but that since
1950, Nebraska has been developing a drought strategy.
He said the equipment to irrigate 6.5 million acres has
been developed since 1950, when only about 1,000,000
could be irrigated.
Dreeszer said the State Dept. of Water Resources has
increased their manpower as a result of legislative appro
priations and can now better administrate water rights and
make checks to prevent the illegal use of water resources.
Triis includes halting use of pumps and temporary dams
without permission.
Water pollution also was seen as a problem by two
thirds of those surveyed. Lincolnites and Omahans were
more likely than other residents to recognize the problem.
"Like drought, water quality is a time-dependent prob
lem," Dreeszer said. "Pollution of surface water (streams
and rivers) is a visible and real problem."
He said chemicals, wastes and sewage dumped into
streams create more direct problems than the slow
changes in groundwater supplied and reservoirs, which are
insulated. He added that nitrate levels in the water have
become a state-wide problem.
Other results of the survey indicated that less than half
of all Nebraskans feel air pollution is a problem, and that
43 percent are concerned about soil quality in their area.
flSUN
agenda
I. Call to order, Approval
of minute, Executive
reports
II. Senate committee re
ports III. Old business
Appointments
Senate bfll no. U
appointments Senate bill no. 12
constitutions commit
tee Resolution no. 9-bond
issue
Resolution no. 10-edu-cational
community
Organic act no. 4-rules
procedure
VI. New business
Senate bill no. 13
short
stuff
The Community Involve
ment Service needs a reader
for a student, Those inter
ested should contact Union
200 or call 472-2484.
The Gay Women's Rap
Group will meet at 5 p.m.
at the Women's Resource
Center, Uniort 116.
Lambda Tau will meet
at 7 pjn. in the health cen
ter. ASUN will meet at 7
p.m. in Union 202 to hear
Stan Juelfs, republican can
didate for governor.
The Undergraduate
Sociology Association will
meet at 12:30 pjn. and
3:30 p.m, in Oldfather 722.
The UNL Society of
Women Engineers will meet
7 pjn, Thursday in
Nebraska Hall W185.
The Union Program
Council's American Film
Classics Series will present
"High Noon" at 7 pjn.
and 9 p jn. in the Union
Centennial Room.
..
NUPRG's Family Farm
Ranch Task Force will meet
6:30 pjn. Thursday in the
Nebraska East Union on the
Terraces. For more informa
tion call 472-2448,
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