Kansas Healthy Watersheds Project
Kansas WRAPS is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Silver Jackets and the Kansas Hazard Mitigation Team (KHMT) to reduce downstream flooding through improved watershed-wide soil health.
The project focuses on agricultural lands using Best Management Practices (BMPs) like no-till farming and cover crops. While these improvements have documented water quality benefits, the team’s sensitivity analysis suggests that if applied to a strategic majority of the watershed, they can also significantly reduce flood peaks.
Looking Ahead: The team has proposed a new project, “Soils Versus Structures,” to conduct a tradeoff analysis of structural vs. nonstructural measures.
Technical Reports & Resources
Full findings on hydrologic modeling and land use management.
Supplementary data, charts, and variable analysis.
Flood Risk Management (FRM) partnership updates.
NPR segment on how soils are critical to healthy watersheds.
Informational flyer on soil health benefits.
Project Videos & Presentations
Technical session presentation on modeling methodology.
Implementation of watershed-wide soil health improvements.
“Soils Into Sponges” presentation: How healthy soils reduce runoff.
Contact Information
For more information on the Kansas Healthy Watersheds Project.