By Ronica Stromberg
Jake Pittman began university classes during the 2020 Covid lockdown, uncertain about the future but certain he wanted to help people somehow.
"I just knew that I wanted to make a change and help people, and I thought that environmental sciences was the way to do that," the 2024 Nebraska alumnus said.
Two months after graduating with an environmental science degree and emphasis in water science, Pittman landed a water technician position with the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District. He worked there six months and received a promotion to a water resources specialist position.
Now working primarily with groundwater, he samples it from dedicated monitoring wells and irrigation wells to check for contaminants. Nitrates, chemicals formed from nitrogen and oxygen, are the main concern in Nebraska, he said. They can cause health problems like cancer and blue baby syndrome, in which a baby’s red blood cells fail to carry enough oxygen, which can lead to death. Nitrates can get into drinking water from natural sources or from human activities like using fertilizers. Runoff from fields can worsen the quality of surface water and harm animals living in it.
In summer, Pittman samples water and may help with chemigation inspections, water-level measurements and maintaining weather stations. In winter, he spends more time working on data collected in the field, well permits and other office work. He helps extension educators hold nitrogen certification classes that farmers need to take every four years to apply fertilizer in the district.
The district maintains the water supply lines from Wahoo to Colon and from David City to Bruno, and Pittman may help with that work. When he first started, he helped out with the district’s tree planting program and the Spring Conservation Sensation, an outdoor educational event for schoolchildren.
"Every day is different, which is one of the things I love about the job," Pittman said. "So, there could be a day where you're sitting in the office for eight hours or there could be a day where you're out in the field all day."
Follow the rest of Jake's story at https://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/what/newstory.aspx?fid=1333