Nebraska Children's Groundwater festival returns after a two year hiatus

GRAND ISLAND, NEB. — Learning about science isn’t all textbook.

From blasting off hand-made water rockets to filtering water through tiny rock formations—this isn’t your typical science class.

“You put water in it, and you try to pump up the air and then we give a countdown, and then somebody launches it," said Sebastian Perez Madrid, a fifth-grader in attendance at the Nebraska Children's Groundwater Festival.

Perez Madrid is one of many students taking a break from the classroom and jumping into the science world.

“I’ve been learning a lot. How to build rockets and everything."

And the fun doesn’t stop there.

Across the way, other students learned how an aquifer works by figuring out which way they would pump water too, in their pretend city.

“They just found that out too and nobody could guess that one right either. How much gallons of water each person uses every day," said Ed Kyes, member of the Board of Directors at the NRD in Central Platte.

Water use is a topic Kyes knows far too well—as a Nebraska farmer and member of the Natural Resources District.

“A lot of pivots out there now that are a lot more economical than gravity, so you know, they’re using moisture sensors to coordinate irrigation system. so, I think it’s getting better, we’re using water better than we were maybe several years ago."

Which is positive despite the drought-like conditions being seen.

The drought mitigation center at UNL sees parts of Central and Western Nebraska with well levels dropping and surface water declines.

But Kyes said the state is vigilant.

“I think we do a good job in Nebraska of maintaining that aquifer."

FARMERS LEARN ABOUT PROGRAMS TO HELPS THEM MANAGE DROUGHT NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Teaching how water enters our aquifers and rivers was Larry Schultz with the Lower Loup City NRD. Schultz said the message goes beyond the demonstrations.

“We want them to understand not only the concepts of how groundwater and surface water works but to be good users of that water."

From learning about soil and water in the textbooks to interacting with it and getting hands-on experience with why it matters.

Everyone was quite happy to have the festival back after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.