The Upper Wakarusa River Watershed 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 Upper Wakarusa River.
Upper Wakarusa River Watershed
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Upper Wakarusa River Watershed
About
Watershed Impairments we are currently addressing:
- Bacteria
- Nutrients
- Sedimentation
Watershed Coordinator: Andrew Rutter 785-764-9362
Stakeholder Leadership Team
Agriculture – Richard Runnebaum and Keith Badger, Chair
Habitat Management – Brad Rueschhoff
Public Water Supplies – Jay Lovett/Renee Whaley
Local Government – Mallory Meek
Community Infrastructure – Courtney Moyer
Conservation/Watershed District- Wayne Lukert
Recreational Resources – Justin Hamilton/Scott Purdon
Special Water Condition – Judy Boltman, Vice-Chair
Member At Large – Gary Price
Partners*
- Douglas County Conservation District
- Osage County Conservation District
- Shawnee County Conservation District
- Kansas Water Office
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- Kansas Biological Survey
- Kansas Forest Service
- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
- USDA – NRCS
- EPA
- Corps of Engineers, Clinton Lake
- USGS
*This list is ever-changing as the Upper Wakarusa WRAPS develops
Priority Areas
The Upper Wakarusa Watershed has three priority areas:
- Clinton Wildlife Area
- Riparian Areas along the Upper Wakarusa River and its tributaries
- Upland Areas
Maps
Counties
- Douglas
- Osage
- Shawnee
Our Work
Best Management Practices
Riparian Areas
– Alternative Water Systems
– Cover Crops for Grazing
– Exclusion Fencing
– Feed Site Relocation
– Small-scale Streambank Stabilization
– Vegetated Filter Strips & Buffers
Upland Areas
– Cover Crops
– No-till Conversion
– Nutrient Management
– Permanent Vegetation
– Vegetated Filter Strips & Buffers
Clinton Wildlife Area
– Cover Crops
– Nutrient Management
– Permanent Vegetation
– Small-scale Streambank Stabilization
– Vegetated Filter Strips & Buffers
Featured Projects
Runnebaum Project: Small Scale Streambank Stabilization – Cedar Tree Revetments at various stages
Get Involved
Workshops:
Public Meetings: Held quarterly. Please contact Andrew Rutter for information.
Stakeholder Leadership Team Meeting: September 29, 2022 at 9:00 am
Details: Clinton Lake – Overlook Park in Lawrence, KS. Outdoor Shelter #1. The meeting room at the USACE has been reserved in case of inclement weather. Coffee and a light breakfast will be provided.
Contact
Andrew Rutter (785) 764-9362, Watershed Coordinator
Based out of Lawrence, Andrew serves as the Upper Wakarusa Watershed Coordinator. He has been involved with WRAPS since 2021, having worked for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment prior to KAWS. Having served as Fish Kill Response Coordinator and Project Officer for several WRAPS watersheds during his time with KDHE, Andrew has a unique perspective on the role industry and agriculture play in shaping water quality in Kansas. Andrew recently returned to Kansas after working as a wildlife ecologist in Illinois; there he managed human/wildlife conflict and studied the impacts of suburban sprawl on fragmented wildlife populations. Prior to that, he studied river otter ecology in southern Illinois.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Emporia State University and a Master of Science in Forestry from Southern Illinois University. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® with The Wildlife Society. When he’s not managing wildlife habitat on his family’s land in southeast Kansas, you can find him hunting, fishing, or trapping. He also enjoys the food and music scene of Lawrence.
