Franklin County Conservation District

The Marais des Cygnes WRAPS Grant Livestock Project was featured in a special report prepared by the National Association of Conservation Districts titled "Our Land, Our Water. Case Studies in Local Success" available at http://nacdnet.org/resources/reports/our_land_our_water.pdf

What is WRAPS?
Watershed Restoration And Protection Strategy, or WRAPS, is a process where local citizens identify water quality and water quantity issues within the watershed; and with guidance and technical assistance, citizens develop and implement a plan to address the needs to improve water quality.

WRAPS includes four phases:
1. Development
    -Organize leadership team
    - Identify local concerns
    - Compile information related to local watershed issues
2. Assessment
    - Review current watershed conditions
    - Develop expectations
    - Identify restoration/protection needs
    - Create watershed model

3. Planning
    - Establish goals and actions needed to address the identified concerns

    - Develop cost estimates
4. Implementation
    - Secure resources to achieve and implement plan
    - Monitor and document progress
    - Revise plan as needed
To learn more about WRAPS log onto www.kswraps.org

What is the MdC WRAPS Livestock Project?

Beginning in July 2006 the MdC WRAPS Grant Livestock Project started working with livestock producers to install a variety of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address water quality issues related to livestock. Demonstration projects have been installed throughout the MdC Basin, including Osage, Linn, Franklin, Anderson, Bourbon and Coffey Counties.

Projects installed through the project prior to its conclusion in December 2011, include renovations to both confined and non-confined feeding sites; livestock stream crossings; and alternate water supplies projects, several of which included solar pumping systems.

Cost share payments made directly to the producers between June 2006 and December 2011 totaled $

Grant dollars were available to livestock producers within the Marais des Cygnes (MdC) Basin, which spans 13 counties in eastern Kansas. The funds are used as cost share assistance dollars for various water quality improvement projects directly related to livestock production.

Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to livestock include relocation of feeding sites; alternative water supplies; sediment basins; grass buffer areas; riparian fencing; spring development; waste collection, treatment and application.

Why WRAPS targets livestock projects?

Livestock have a major effect on water quality of ponds and stream. The impact can be reduced by minimizing the direct access livestock have to stream and pond for drinking. Research indicated that if a watering tank is installed into a pasture with a stream, 80% of the drinking will move to the tank vs. the stream. This change in behavior reduces the damage to the stream bank, reduces direct feces and urine deposit to the stream and reduces the e-coli content of stream water.

Additional BMP’s which reduce livestock impact on stream water quality include riparian fences of streams or ponds, and grazing land management.

For more information contact Herschel George, K-State Extension Watershed Specialist for the MdC Basin at 913-294-6021 or hgeorge@ksu.edu

Are you looking for information on various styles of livestock water tanks available on the market?
Are you looking for a distributor for livestock tanks?
Click here for a pdf file with information on tanks.
 

WRAPS Livestock Committee
Anderson County: Ona May Hunt
Bourbon County: Bob Love
Franklin County: Aaron Dunbar
Miami County: Vernon Bartlett
Osage County: Johncie Heise

Project Coordinator: Keri Harris, Dist Mgr; Franklin Co Cons Dist 785-242-1109 ex 3

                         Project Advisor: Herschel George, KSU R&E Watershed Specialist 913-294-6021
 

Funding provided by EPA 319 Grant Funds, through KDHE.