EPA Research in Nebraska

Explore EPA's research across the United States.

EPA researchers are working hard to protect communities across the nation. Learn about some of the work EPA researchers are doing in Nebraska.

Economic Value of Green Infrastructure
Reducing Children’s Lead Exposure in Omaha, Nebraska
Smoke Management Practices for Prescribed Burns in Flint Hills Prairie

For more EPA work, see EPA in Nebraska.

Economic Value of Green Infrastructure

Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities

Green infrastructure — vegetation that can be used to manage stormwater runoff (e.g., rain gardens, vegetated roofs, bioswales) — has been adopted by cities across the U.S. to help address aging water infrastructure, water quality, and excess water quantity. Although green infrastructure contribution to stormwater control and management has been extensively studied, the economic value of its benefits is less known. In Omaha, Nebraska, green infrastructure projects have been completed in several public parks to help with stormwater management. EPA researchers examined the effect of green infrastructure on the value of single-family homes within various buffer distances of parks where GI was installed. Read Examining the Effects of Green Infrastructure on Residential Sales Prices in Omaha, Nebraska.

Reducing Children’s Lead Exposure in Omaha, Nebraska

For many years, EPA has been helping clean up properties in Omaha, Nebraska affected by lead contamination from the operation of a lead refinery. In 2018, EPA researchers gathered data to ensure that these efforts are leading to decreased blood lead levels in the children that lived in the affected areas and determine whether further remediation is needed. This research has the potential to help protect children across the country in areas where not as much data is available. Read Reducing Children’s Lead Exposure in Omaha, Nebraska.

Smoke Management Practices for Prescribed Burns in Flint Hills Prairie

Researcher in a yellow jacket approaches a thick balloon used for the burn study

Central Kansas is home to the largest remaining tallgrass prairie in North America with five million acres in Kansas and portions of Nebraska and Oklahoma. Fires were once a natural occurrence, but now they are intentionally set during prescribed burns, primarily in the spring. The fires burn the invasive plants and rejuvenate the soil, which encourages growth of native grasses. However, the smoke plumes from the fires can contribute to air pollution in nearby communities and farther downwind. EPA researchers are conducting research to support best smoke management practices for prescribed burns of prairies to reduce the impact of smoke on communities. Read Novel Air Measurement Technology Supports Smoke Management Practices for Prescribed Burns.