In Nebraska, a large number (>200) of shallow sand‐point and cased wells completed in coarse alluvial sediments along rivers and lakes still are used to obtain drinking water for human consumption, even though construction of sand‐point wells for consumptive uses has been banned since 1987. The quality of water from shallow domestic wells potentially vulnerable to seepage from septic systems was evaluated by analyzing for the presence of tracers and multiple isotopes. Samples were collected from 26 sand‐point and perforated, cased domestic wells and were analyzed for bacteria, coliphages, nitrogen species, nitrogen and boron isotopes, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), prescription and nonprescription drugs, or organic waste water contaminants. At least 13 of the 26 domestic well samples showed some evidence of septic system effects based on the results of several tracers including DOC, coliphages, NH4+, NO3−, N2, δ15N[NO3−] and boron isotopes, and antibiotics and other drugs. Sand‐point wells within 30 m of a septic system and <14 m deep in a shallow, thin aquifer had the most tracers detected and the highest values, indicating the greatest vulnerability to contamination from septic waste.

FOREWORD he High Plains aquifer is the principal source for irrigation and drinking water in one of the major agricultural areas in the Nation. For any natural resource (for example, water, minerals, or energy), decisions about future utilizations depend on having a clear understanding of the status of the resource, the amount that has already been extracted, the amount remaining, and the impact of further depletion. This Circular reports on the available water in the High Plains aquifer in 2000 and the changes that have taken place in recent decades. The Circular is intended to help those who are interested or involved in the protection, management, and sustainable use of the High Plains aquifer to understand it better and make the best possible decisions. The information is based on the cooperative efforts of local, State, and Federal agencies to monitor water levels throughout the aquifer on a regular basis. V

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The quality of drinking water from shallow domestic wells potentially affected by seepage from septic systems was assessed by analyzing water samples for substances derived from septic systems. The effects of septic systems on water from domestic wells was demonstrated using several tracers including bacteria, virus indicators, dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen species, nitrogen and boron isotopes, and organic compounds such as prescription and nonprescription drugs. Domestic wells seemed to be most vulnerable to septic-waste contamination when they were sand-point wells within 100 feet of a septic system and were less than 45 feet deep in a shallow, thin aquifer.

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