Middle Kansas River Watershed

The Middle  Kansas River WRAPS (Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy) program provides cost share assistance to producers for establishing best management practices (BMPs) to improve water quality in designated priority areas of the Middle  Kansas River watershed.

Watershed Impairments we are currently addressing:                  

• Rock Creek: Bacteria from livestock manure
• Soldier Creek: Sedimentation from erosion of soil and stream banks

Watershed Coordinator: Lindsay Morris

Stakeholder Leadership Team

• Dennis Schwant, Chair   Pottawatomie Conservation District
• Douglas Helmke, Vice Chair    Kansas Rural Water Association
• Judy Boltman, Shawnee County Conservation District
• Mary Howell, KAWS Service provider and Producer
• Theo Wahquahboshkuk, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
• Francis Kelsey, Shawnee County Conservation District
• Shane Neel, Kansas Forest Service
• Brian Boeckman, Jackson County Conservation District
• Molly Schmidt, Pottawatomie County Conservation District
• Dennis Mulroy, Jackson County Producer
• Bill Riphahn, Shawnee County Commissioner

Partners*

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS)
• Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism 
• Jackson County Conservation District
• Pottawatomie County Conservation District
• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
• K-State Research and Extension
• Heinen Brothers

*This list is ever-changing as the Middle Kansas WRAPS develops

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency 319 funds. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

The Middle Kansas River Watershed has two priority areas:

• Rock Creek in Pottawatomie County
• Soldier Creek in Nemaha and Jackson Counties.

Maps

• Soldier Creek with Tributaries Named
• Soldier Creek – Nemaha and Jackson Counties with targeted section areas
• Rock Creek with Tributaries Named
• Rock Creek – Pottawatomie County with targeted section areas

Counties

• Pottawatomie
• Nemaha
• Jackson

Best Management Practices

Rock Creek Priority Area
– Alternative Water Systems
– Cover Crops for Grazing
– Feed Site Relocation
– Grazing Management Plans
– Riparian Buffers

Testimonial video on cover crops in the Soldier Creek area

Soldier Creek Priority Area
– Cover Crops for Ground Cover
– Field Erosion
– Sensitive Riparian Program
– Small-scale Streambank Stabilization
– Vegetated Buffers

Featured Projects

Contact: Watershed Coordinator: Lindsay Morris for information on upcoming Stakeholder Leadership Team meetings, Workshops, and Field Tours

Contact Lindsay Morris

Lindsay Morris joined the team in 2026 as the Middle Kansas Watershed Coordinator and lives in Nemaha County.

She moved to Kansas in 2018 to attend Kansas State University, which sparked a love for agriculture and conservation. She completed her PhD in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics with a dissertation on “Open-path dual-frequency comb spectroscopy of methane from livestock production.” Previously, she served as the Soil Health Specialist in Northeastern Kansas under the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts for two years. Lindsay is a USDA-NRCS Environmental Conservation Planner Level III.

FAQ

• Do you give financial assistance for ponds? No, WRAPS does not fund the repair or construction of ponds. Please check with your local NRCS office.
• How much financial assistance do you provide for BMP projects? Typically, the safe answer is 70%, but that can look different for every project. Your time and labor equals money!