Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District

What Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District does

Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (UBBNRD) is a state-chartered subdivision of local county government in Nebraska, established in 1972 and headquartered in York. It manages groundwater quantity and quality, soil and water conservation, flood control, and outdoor recreation across nine counties (Adams, Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Hamilton, Polk, Saline, Seward, and York), serving more than 56,000 residents, agricultural producers, rural well owners, municipalities, and recreation visitors. The district's core technical assets include an online water-usage reporting portal, the volunteer NeRAIN precipitation monitoring network, GIS-based management-area mapping, and an annual program that measures approximately 500 observation wells against a 1978 baseline to trigger allocation phases when groundwater declines.

The district's service portfolio spans three interlocking layers: (1) regulatory and monitoring services (well permitting, flow meter maintenance, groundwater allocation, nitrogen management, water testing); (2) financial incentive programs (cost-share for cover crops at $75/acre, land treatment up to 90% cost-share/$15,000 cap, chemigation 50% cost-share, reverse osmosis pilot, and the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project at $20/acre/year); and (3) recreation and education services (five recreation areas, ACE Camp, scholarships). Operations are delivered through the York headquarters and five co-located NRCS field offices. Technology is conventional: web portal, GIS, physical sensors (Watermark, atmometers), and manual data collection — no proprietary AI/ML assets are disclosed.

The revenue model is a hybrid of property-tax levies across the nine-county district, state and federal grants (Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment; NRCS; Nebraska Environmental Trust), and small cost-recovery fees (e.g., $50 well permits, nominal grant pass-throughs). Customer concentration is low; pricing is broadly distributed via per-acre or per-practice cost-share caps rather than enterprise contracts. Recent strategic activity has centered on regulatory escalation (EPA-approved Water Quality Management Plan in 2020; Innovative Water Plan Award in 2024), digital channel build-out (online reporting portal), and ecosystem partnerships (Nature Conservancy, Cargill, McDonalds, Target via the soil carbon project). The district has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates as a non-investor government entity.

Name

Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District

Legal name

Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District

Website

https://upperbigblue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UBBNRD is a Nebraska state-chartered government subdivision, founded in 1972 and headquartered in York, that manages groundwater, soil conservation, flood control, and recreation across nine counties, serving agricultural producers, rural well owners, municipalities, and the general public via regulatory programs, cost-share incentives, and monitoring services funded primarily by property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Groundwater Monitoring & Well Sampling (Monitoring Wells, Plumes) (EUAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wellhead Protection & Source Water Protection Studies (EUAHAFAK), Water Source Development & Intake Systems (Wells, Boreholes, Intakes) (AFAAACAI)

Keywords

• Natural resource management
• Groundwater management services
• Water conservation programs
• Soil conservation practices
• Watershed protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: As a subdivision of local county government, the NRD receives funding through property taxes levied within the district boundaries covering Adams, Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Hamilton, Polk, Saline, Seward, and York Counties.
2. State and Federal Grants: Funding from Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, NRCS, Nebraska Environmental Trust, and other state/federal sources for specific conservation programs and projects.
3. Program Fees and Permits: Fees collected for well permits ($50), groundwater transfer applications, and other regulatory services. These are minimal cost-recovery fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UBBNRD is a local government entity that manages groundwater quantity and quality, administers cost-share conservation programs (cover crops, chemigation, reverse osmosis, land treatment), issues well permits, conducts flow meter inspections, monitors approximately 500 observation wells, provides free water testing and a Conservation Tree Program, and operates five free recreation areas for district residents across nine Nebraska counties.

Product overview

Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District operates as a local government conservation organization providing water management, land treatment, and natural resource services across nine Nebraska counties. The district's offerings include groundwater quantity and quality management programs with tiered regulatory phases, cost-share incentive programs for conservation practices (cover crops, land treatment, chemigation, reverse osmosis systems), a conservation tree program, five recreation areas, and educational programming including scholarships and youth camps. The district maintains an online reporting portal for water usage and management area compliance, provides free water testing services, and administers well permitting and flow meter maintenance programs. These services are interconnected through the district's water management framework, where monitoring data informs regulatory phases, and financial incentives support adoption of practices that protect groundwater quality and quantity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 47 flood control structures built since 1972 protecting lives and property
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing technical and financial assistance for conservation programs. NRCS field office clerks stationed at NRD offices assist with program delivery including EQIP, CSP, and conservation practices.
• Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency with regulatory authority over water resources. Collaborated on joint planning efforts including the Water Quality Management Plan and Voluntary Integrated Management Plan.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partnering in the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project along with Central Platte NRD, NRCS, Cargill, McDonalds, and Target to expand conservation resources for producers.
• Rainwater Basin Joint VenturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for wetlands conservation programs including Divots in the Pivots and portable corral equipment for wetland grazing management.
• University of Nebraska ExtensionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing research-based information and collaboration on irrigation scheduling programs like Water-TIP, which began in 2005 with 18 collaborators.
• Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerState agency for outdoor recreation and wildlife management, collaborating on recreation area development and wildlife habitat programs.
• Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade association for Nebraska's 23 NRDs. UBBNRD pays annual dues of $41,735.39 for FY26.
• City of HastingsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner for joint planning on Lake Hastings watershed and wellfield protection. Collaborating on Water Quality Management Plan implementation.
• Little Blue NRDsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjacent NRD partnering on Lake Hastings watershed implementation plan update for water quality improvement.
• JEO Consulting GroupsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm contracted to assist with the joint planning effort between NRD and state agencies for the Water Quality Management Plan.
• Central Platte NRDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner NRD in the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project public-private partnership for enrolling acres in soil health practices.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lower Platte South Natural Resources District: Adjacent Nebraska NRD covering Cass, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward, and Lancaster Counties. Operates the same groundwater allocation, well permitting, and conservation programs under the same state statutory framework, making it the most structurally comparable peer.
• Central Platte Natural Resources District: Nebraska NRD covering Dawson, Hall, Buffalo, Phelps, and Gosper Counties. Co-partner with UBBNRD on the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project and shares the same groundwater management mandate and cost-share program structure.
• Little Blue Natural Resources District: Adjacent Nebraska NRD partnering with UBBNRD on the Lake Hastings watershed implementation plan. Operates identical groundwater quantity and quality programs under the same Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment oversight.
• Tri-Basin Natural Resources District: Nebraska NRD covering Gosper, Phelps, Harlan, and Furnas Counties. Comparable in size, structure, and scope, with the same Phase I/II/III groundwater management authority and cost-share program design.
• Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District: Nebraska NRD covering Boyd, Holt, Knox, Keya Paha, and Brown Counties. Comparable governance structure, property tax funding model, and groundwater and recreation area responsibilities under the same state NRD framework.
• Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District: Larger Nebraska NRD covering the Omaha metro area. Comparable regulatory authority over flood control, erosion, and water quality, but operates at a much larger budget and population scale than UBBNRD.

Others

• Nebraska Association of Resources Districts: Umbrella trade association for Nebraska's 23 NRDs, of which UBBNRD is a dues-paying member (~$41,735/year FY26). Acts as a coordinating body and shared policy voice, not a direct operator.
• The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska: Conservation organization partnering with UBBNRD on the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project alongside Cargill, McDonald's, and Target. Functions as a program delivery and corporate funding conduit rather than a competing district.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Federal conservation agency with field office staff co-located at UBBNRD facilities. Provides EQIP, CSP, and other cost-share funding that flows through and complements NRD programs.

Regional players

• Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment: State regulatory authority overseeing NRDs statewide, including joint planning with UBBNRD on the Water Quality Management Plan and groundwater allocation frameworks. Sets the rules within which UBBNRD operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UBBNRD
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/upperbigbluenrd
• Facebookfacebook.com/ubbnrd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubbnrd
• Instagraminstagram.com/UBBNRD

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District