The Lake Hastings Watershed Implementation Plan (LHWIP) was developed through a collaborative effort between the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, the City of Hastings, the Little Blue Natural Resources District, and the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (UBBNRD).  JEO Consulting Group led the process and prepared the plan, which is designed to guide the project partners in improving water quality and aquatic resources within Lake Hastings and its watershed.  The LHWIP was added to the UBBNRD District-Wide Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2024.

In 2026, the UBBNRD Board of Directors approved the Lake Hastings Watershed as a target area of the WQMP.  This designation made Lake Hastings Watershed landowners within the UBBNRD eligible for increased incentive cost-share funding for best management practices such as land treatment projects, cover crops, and buffer strips. Implementation of these projects is guided by technical assistance provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), but is funded directly by the UBBNRD.

For more information on the WQMP incentive program, which also includes municipal wellhead protection areas and portions of the Recharge Lake and Beaver Creek watersheds,  visit: www.upperbigblue.org/wqmp.  For questions or additional information please call the Hastings NRCS Office at 402-463-6771 or the Upper Big Blue NRD at 402-362-6601.