Learning about groundwater movement and water quality (GWWQ) is a great first step for understanding the source and quality of water that you drink every day! The GWWQ Program is designed to introduce the basics of how groundwater moves through aquifers and how contaminants, such as nitrate, move with the groundwater.
Nebraska Extension Associate Becky Schuerman and Specialist Troy Gilmore have designed the GWWQ for middle school and high school students, but the activities and concepts are relevant to anyone who relies on groundwater for drinking water and other uses. In other words, GWWQ is relevant to most Nebraskans!
Contact Becky or contact Troy for more information or to schedule an event.
Virtual Interactives
Interactive learning modules cover basic information about how water and pollutants move through and beneath Nebraska’s watersheds.
Modules may be completed in any order, but are listed in order from more basic to more complex. To start a module, just click on the title image.
Learn the basic water balance components for a groundwater system. Use water data and groundwater maps to determine whether a groundwater system is in balance.
How do streams and groundwater interact? Learn how groundwater and surface water levels affect water movement and understand how pumping can impact streamflow.
Have you ever wondered why groundwater nitrate concentrations vary in aquifers? One reason is that there are substantial lag times between groundwater quality changes and the human activities that cause them. These lags can cause distinct patterns of groundwater age and quality in aquifers. This module introduces the concept of groundwater age and how age information can be used to understand groundwater variables, including nitrate and recharge.