Nebraska Agrochemical Contamination Throws Families, Communities, Water Providers into Turmoil

“There’s two ways to handle losing your child to cancer,” Gary Peters told Circle of Blue. “Get involved and do something or just disappear.”

After Gary and Sheri Peters’ son Jacob died of a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma, they did something. Today they are both active in the Pediatric Cancer Action Network, a grassroots advocacy and support group in Nebraska. Their work has revealed to them one of the darker sides of rural life in Nebraska. Six kids in town besides Jacob were diagnosed with cancer from 2005 to 2013.

An investigation by Circle of Blue uncovered compelling evidence for why — agrochemical contamination in Nebraska’s surface, ground, and drinking water.

Towns across the United States at risk for contamination from nitrate are typically neighbors to the ag industry and use groundwater.

They are also among the smallest towns in the United States, where more often than not officials cannot afford the infrastructure needed to keep water supplies clean.

Nitrate contamination is increasingly becoming a global concern, according to The World Bank.
This is the second of a two-part series. Read part one here.

What’s Up With Water – February 8, 2022

Featured coverage from this week's episode of What's Up With Water looks at:

Michigan's Groundwater Emergency
Toxic PFAS chemicals have been leaking into groundwater for decades from a field that was formerly used for firefighting training at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan. The groundwater, tainted by foams used to put out the fires, seeped into the marsh, then into the river, and on down the watershed, even into Lake Huron. A few years ago, the Michigan Department of Community Health issued a warning to anglers: Do not eat the fish from the marsh.

Wurtsmith is one entry in a long and varied ledger of contaminated sites in Michigan that are contributing to a state groundwater emergency that has spilled over into rivers, streams, and lakes.

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