In 2011, the WRAPS group developed a 9 Elements WRAPS Plan to address the needs to improve water. The 9 Elements WRAPS Plan was approved on November 29, 2011 by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment and forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval. The WRAPS project involves partnerships to achieve the common goals to protect and keep sustainable a clean and safe water supply.
The 9 Element WRAPS Plan includes six priority subwatersheds (188,072.3 acres) in Ellis, Russell, and Ellsworth counties to focus on implementation of best management practices (BMPs) in order to reduce pollutant loading in local waters. The map above also depicts the priority areas noted as Target HUC 12s. The priority goals of the WRAPS Plan include: Cropland Targets (sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus); Grassland/Rangeland Targets (sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, and E. coli bacteria); and Urban/Residential Targets (sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, and E. coli bacteria). In working to improve the cropland targets, best management practices (BMPs) will be installed that could include: grassed waterways, conversion to minimum tillage or no-till, terraces, and buffer strips. Grassland/Rangeland target improvements could include: rotational grazing, reducing stocking rates, brush management, and alternative water supplies. To meet the Urban/Residential targets, improvement may need to occur at local waste water treatment plants, efforts by residents to pick up after pets and disposing of pet waste properly, proper placement and amount of lawn fertilizer, and conversion to xeriscape landscapes.
