Nebraska DHHS
Nebraska drinking water lab certification, DHHS and Title 179.
Who certifies drinking water labs in Nebraska, how reciprocity and NELAP accreditation are treated, how long certification lasts, and what auditors look for in your initial calibrations.
At a glance
How lab certification works in Nebraska.
Nebraska is not a NELAP accreditation body. The Department of Health and Human Services certifies labs that test drinking water under Title 179, Chapter 20, and accepts NELAP accreditation and EPA or state certification as a basis for certification.
Drinking water lab certification
- Program
- Drinking water laboratory certification, managed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The DHHS instructions and checklist for certification refer to the DHHS Public Health Environmental Laboratory.
- Legal basis
- Title 179, Chapter 20 of the Nebraska Administrative Code, Laboratory Certification and Agreement Requirements for Testing Drinking Water
- Who needs it
- DHHS states that analyses to determine the quality of public drinking water systems must be performed by a certified laboratory.
- Quality system
- Department-certified labs must comply with a current laboratory quality assurance plan as specified by EPA (179 NAC 20-005). First-time applicants submit a completed checklist from the EPA certification manual (179 NAC 20-003).
- Accepted credentials
- 179 NAC 20-004 accepts certification or accreditation from an EPA certified laboratory, a state laboratory certified by EPA, a laboratory certified by a state certification program, or a laboratory accredited by NELAP.
- Laboratory agreements
- Agreements expire each year on December 31. A provisionally certified lab may analyze drinking water samples for compliance purposes only while a valid agreement is in place.
- NELAP status
- Not a NELAP accreditation body as of October 2026. Nebraska accepts NELAP accreditation as a basis for its own certification.
The accreditation cycle
From application to renewal.
The steps below summarize Title 179, Chapter 20 and the DHHS certification requirements page for drinking water labs. Your certificate and DHHS correspondence govern the specifics for your lab.
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Apply
Submit a complete application provided by the Department. First-time applicants also submit a completed checklist from the EPA certification manual (179 NAC 20-003).
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Proficiency testing
At least one acceptable PT per year for each test method and analyte, with results sent by the PT provider directly to the Department (179 NAC 20-005).
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Inspection
DHHS states that it conducts an inspection at least once every three years.
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Term and renewal
Certifications are valid for not more than 36 months and expire December 31 of the third year. Reciprocal certifications expire with the certifying body’s certification and cannot exceed 36 months (179 NAC 20-006).
Initial calibration
What auditors check in your initial calibrations.
Nebraska’s certification rule points to EPA rather than writing its own calibration criteria. The expectations come from the EPA performance criteria and quality assurance plan named in 179 NAC 20-005 and from the methods you are certified for.
A range that brackets what you report
The lowest standard should sit at or below your reporting limit and the highest at or above the top concentration you report. Results outside the calibrated range need to be qualified.
Error at the low end, not r² alone
A correlation coefficient of 0.999 can still hide a low standard that back-calculates 30 percent off. Auditors look at relative error, especially at the lowest levels.
Records that rebuild the curve
Raw responses, the model and weighting used, any excluded points with the reason, and the verification that followed. An auditor should be able to reconstruct every initial calibration from the record.
EPA criteria and a current QA plan
179 NAC 20-005 holds Department-certified labs to the performance criteria and quality assurance plan requirements in the EPA drinking water certification manual. Chapter 20 does not write its own curve criteria, so your calibrations are judged against that manual and the EPA methods you are certified for.
Source: 179 NAC 20-005
The DHHS Instructions and Checklist for Certification of Drinking Water Laboratories for Nebraska cite the 1997 Fourth Edition of the EPA Manual for Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water, while 179 NAC 20-003 and 20-005 cite the Fifth Edition. Confirm the current version with DHHS before an inspection.
Self-check
Are your initial calibrations ready for a Nebraska assessment?
Tick what your lab could show an auditor today. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere.
6Checks to work through
Select each item your lab could show an auditor today.
A self-assessment to help you prepare, not a compliance determination.
Nebraska specifics
A drinking water program built to accept outside credentials.
Nebraska’s lab certification rule, Title 179, Chapter 20, is written for drinking water. DHHS states that analyses to determine the quality of public drinking water systems must be performed by a certified laboratory, and the chapter sets how the Department certifies labs and enters into laboratory agreements.
The rule accepts credentials issued elsewhere. Under 179 NAC 20-004, the Department will accept certification or accreditation from EPA certified laboratories, state laboratories certified by EPA, labs certified by a state certification program, and labs accredited by NELAP. Reciprocity applicants provide their latest on-site audit report from the certifying body, and a reciprocal certification expires when the certifying body’s certification does, never later than 36 months.
For labs the Department certifies directly, the schedule is set: at least one acceptable PT per year for each method and analyte, an inspection at least once every three years according to DHHS, and laboratory agreements that expire each December 31. Calibration is judged against the EPA criteria and quality assurance plan the rule points to, so the record needs to show how each curve meets the method.
How WLTR helps
Calibration evidence ready for a Nebraska inspection.
WLTR independently reviews the calibration your instrument software produced. Your analyst still makes the final call. What changes is that the evidence is complete, consistent across analysts, and ready before the auditor asks for it.
- Each analyte reviewed one at a time in the instrument software.
- The model and weighting are whatever the batch was processed with.
- r² is the number most people look at, even though it does not measure error at the low end.
- QA signs off without an independent check on the curve.
- Every analyte and every candidate model side by side in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard.
- Diagnostics run automatically and the best fit curve is identified, with the reasons recorded.
- Relative error at every level, including the lowest standard, shown on one screen.
- A traceable record your QA manager can review, sign and hand to a DHHS auditor.
See how your own ICAL data looks when every analyte and model is laid out for review.
Questions
Nebraska accreditation FAQs
Is Nebraska a NELAP state?
No. As of October 2026, Nebraska is not on TNI’s list of NELAP accreditation bodies. Its drinking water rule does accept NELAP accreditation as a basis for certification (179 NAC 20-004).
Who certifies drinking water labs in Nebraska?
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, under Title 179, Chapter 20 of the Nebraska Administrative Code.
Can an out-of-state lab be certified in Nebraska?
Yes. DHHS offers certification through reciprocity, including for labs that hold accreditation from a national accrediting body. Applicants provide their latest on-site audit report from the certifying body, and reciprocal certification expires with the certifying body’s certification.
How long does Nebraska certification last?
Not more than 36 months, expiring December 31 of the third year (179 NAC 20-006). Laboratory agreements expire each year on December 31, and labs need at least one acceptable PT per year for each test method and analyte.
Does Nebraska have its own initial calibration rule?
No separate rule. 179 NAC 20-005 refers to the regulatory performance criteria explained by EPA and to a laboratory quality assurance plan as EPA specifies, so calibrations are reviewed against the EPA methods a lab is certified for.
Sources
Primary sources for this page.
- TNI, NELAP accreditation bodies (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska DHHS, lab certification requirements (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska DHHS, instructions and checklist for certification of drinking water laboratories (opens in a new tab)
- 179 NAC Chapter 20 (Justia, secondary copy) (opens in a new tab)
- 179 NAC 20-004, approved certification and accreditation bodies (Justia, secondary copy) (opens in a new tab)
- 179 NAC 20-005, certification standards (Justia, secondary copy) (opens in a new tab)
- 179 NAC 20-006, term of certification (Justia, secondary copy) (opens in a new tab)
This page summarizes public program information to help labs prepare. Requirements change, and the agency’s current rules and guidance always take precedence. WLTR is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Spot something out of date? Tell us at admin@wltr.tech.
Before your next assessment
See your Nebraska ICALs the way an auditor will.
Bring a recent initial calibration. We will walk you through every analyte and candidate model in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard, the best fit, and the record your QA manager would sign.
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