In order to formulate a truly valid and “comprehensive” plan for the future development of Red Willow County, it is first necessary to evaluate the environment and man-made conditions which currently exist to determine the impacts that these factors may have on limiting future land uses in the County. This component of the Red Willow County Comprehensive Development Plan provides a general summary of the environmental and man-made conditions which are present in the County and identifies and qualifies the characteristics of each which will directly or indirectly impact future land uses in the County. For clarity, the evaluations are presented in two separate analyses.
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Soil
Associations
§
Prime
Crop Land
§
Dryland
Capability Classification
§
Soil
Limitations
§
Water
Supply
§
Physiography
/ Relief / Drainage
§
Urban
Development
§
Transportation
System Impacts
§
Public
Facility Impacts
The soils of Red Willow County have developed from three kinds of parent material. There are (1) windblown silt (Peorian loess); (2) colluvium; and (3) alluvium. The most extensive of these are the soils formed in windblown silt. All of the materials were deposited in late geologic time, during the Pleistocene epoch. There are outcrops of rocks from the Ogallala formation also within the County.
Silt laid down by wind forms a mantle over all but the river channels in the County. Some of the most fertile soils in the County, mainly the Keith, Colby, Holdrege, and Ulysses silt loams, formed in it.
Colluvium consists of mixed deposits of soil material near the base of slopes. In this County it is made up mainly of recent, deep deposits of loamy material near the base of hills that border major streams. The deposits have accumulated through soil creep, slides, and local wash. Colluvium is not a major source of parent material in the County, but it is the parent material of the Bridgeport and Bayard soils.
Alluvium consists of silt, clay, sand, gravel, and soil material washed from higher areas and deposited by rivers and streams. In this County this material is on the flood plains of the Republican River and its main tributaries. Many areas that are already covered by alluvium receive fresh deposits of material from time to time. Most of the soils formed in alluvium area young and lack clearly expressed horizons. They vary because of differences in the source of parent material. The soils formed in alluvium in the County are the Bankard, Barney, Glenberg, Haverson, Las and McCook.
The general soils map, Figure 5, indicates the soil associations within Red Willow County. A soil association is a landscape that has a distinctive proportional pattern of soils. It normally consists of one or more major soils and at least one minor soil, and it is named for the major soils. The soils in one association may occur in another, but in a different pattern.
A map showing soil associations is useful to people who want a general idea of the soils in the County, who want to compare different parts of the County, or who want to know the location of large tracts that are suitable for a certain kind of farming or other land use.
There are four soil associations in Red Willow County. Almost half of the County consists of moderately sloping loess plains in the uplands and of sloping to steep canyons. The rest consists of loamy soils on stream terraces, bottom lands, and foot slopes in the uplands, of sandy and loamy soils along the Republican River, and of silty soils on steep loess hills and in canyons.
The soils in this association are on nearly level to moderately sloping loess plains in the uplands and in sloping to steep canyons. The area of this association is 263,600 acres, or about 58% of the County. Holdrege and Keith soils make up about 75% of this association, and Ulysses soils, 12%. Colby and Hord soils make up the rest of the association.
Holdrege and Keith soils are deep, silty soils on nearly level and gently sloping loess plains. The most extensive areas of Holdrege soils are in the eastern part of the County, but Keith soils are mostly in the western part.
The Ulysses soils are mostly in moderately sloping areas in the loess uplands. Their profile is intermediate in development between that of the Holdrege and Keith soils and that of the Colby soils. Colby soils are deep and silty and are in sloping to steep canyons. Hord soils are in nearly level and concave areas in the uplands, and they receive extra moisture because of runoff from surrounding areas.
FIGURE 5 Soil Associations
The Holdrege, Keith and Hord soils and some areas of the Ulysses and Colby soils are cultivated, but the rest of the soils in this association are typically pastured. Cultivated areas are used mostly for wheat, grain sorghum and corn production.
The main problems in this association with regard to retaining the soils are controlling wind and water erosion, conserving moisture and maintaining a balance between the supply of plant nutrients and the supply of moisture.
The soils in this association are on nearly level to gently sloping stream terraces, bottom lands and foot slopes. There are 56,050 acres in this association, or approximately 12% of the County. Hord, terrace, soils occupy 39% of the association; McCook soils, 36%; and Bridgeport soils, 22%. The rest consists of small areas of Haverson, Glenberg and Bayard soils.
Hord, terrace, soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping stream terraces along the Republican River, Beaver Creek, and the main tributaries of these streams. They are deep, silty soils, and they formed in alluvium that contains lime.
McCook soils, on nearly level bottom lands of streams, are deep and silty, and are moderately dark and limy. Areas of these soils along Beaver and Red Willow Creeks are flooded after heavy rains by overflow from the streams.
Bridgeport soils are on nearly level to gently sloping colluvial fans and foot slopes in the uplands. These soils are deep, moderately dark and silty.
The silty Haverson soils and the moderately sandy Glenberg soils are on bottom lands. The moderately sandy Bayard soils are on colluvial slopes.
The soils in this association are well suited to irrigation, and most areas are irrigated. Corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa are the main crops produced on this association.
The main problems on the more sandy soils are maintaining fertility and controlling erosion. Land leveling is needed in most irrigated areas before water can be distributed properly.
The soils in this association are on the low flood plains along the Republican River. The total area is 13,590 acres, or about 3% of the County. Sandy alluvial land makes up about 32% of the association, Las soils 19% of the association, and Glenberg soils 17%. The rest of the association is made up of Bankard and Barney soils. All of these soils are subject to overflow from the river. The areas are nearly level to gently undulating and consist of material laid down by floodwaters. The water table is at a depth of 1 to 6 feet.
Sandy alluvial land consists mostly of very sandy material, but some layers range from silty clay loam to sand and gravel. Las soils consist of light-colored, loamy material that is covered by sand and contains variable amounts of salts or alkali. Glenberg fine sandy loam, slightly wet, is moderately sandy. In this soil, depth to the water table ranges from 2 to 6 feet. The very sandy Bankard soils are on lowlands along the Republican River, and the poorly drained Barney soils are in old stream channels.
Soils of this association are generally not suited to cultivation, because they are sandy, poorly drained, or severely affected by salts or alkali.
The soils in this association are on steep loess hills and in canyons that form the valley slopes of most drainageways in the County. The total area is 125,000 acres, or approximately 27% of the County. Colby soils make up 85% of the area, and Ulysses soils 5%. Rough broken land, loess, and Rough broken land, caliche, on the sides of canyons, and Broken alluvial land, along the narrow valleys, make up the rest of the area.
The moderately sloping to steep Colby soils are deep and silty and have a thin, slightly darkened surface layer. The Ulysses soils are mostly in the moderately sloping loess hills. The profile of these soils is intermediate in development between that of the Holdrege and Keith soils and the Colby soils.
The slopes make the soils in this association better suited to pasture than to crop production, and the Colby soils are generally used for pasture, though a few small areas are cultivated.
Prime Cropland
The
preservation of soils that are most productive in terms of crop production is
an important issue in any County planning effort. In Nebraska, and other
states, where the major component in
the economy is agricultural production,
the issue of preserving prime crop land for future generations is a key
component in planning for the future of any rural area.
Prime crop land soils, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are soils that are best suited to producing food, feed, forage, fiber and oilseed crops. Such soils have properties that are favorable for the economic production of sustained high yields of crops. The soils need only to be treated and managed using acceptable farming methods. The moisture supply, of course, must be adequate and the growing season has to be sufficiently long. Prime crop land soils produce the highest yields with minimal inputs of energy and economic resources and farming these soils results in the least damage to the environment.
Farming has been the most important enterprise in Red Willow County since the County was settled. In the early years, crops were used only for local consumption. When grain elevators and railroads made other markets available, production of crops and livestock increased. Figure 6 details the location of prime crop land soils within Red Willow County, Nebraska.
It is important to note that a significantly small percentage of the County is considered to be prime crop land and that these areas are located in small, separate locations in the County. Crop production is vital to the local economy of the County and the loss of this limited prime crop land could negatively impact the economy in the County. If these soils are to be preserved for agricultural production, it would indicate that loss of such prime productive areas through development of non-agricultural uses; including industrial, commercial, non-farm residential and other non-agricultural developments; be avoided by providing other more appropriate locations for such uses. In addition, development of large scale livestock feeding operations in areas where these prime soils occur would also result in the loss of notable quantities of this productive crop land and should be permitted to occur only when the long term economic gain is determined to be greater than the long term economic loss of the prime crop land soils. This same determination; weighing the long term economic gain of development of prime crop land against the economic loss if the prime crop land lost to such development; should be made when other uses, including rural residential, commercial and industrial uses, are proposed to be constructed in the rural portions of Red Willow County.
The soil suitability for dryland farm production is indicated on Figure 7. Typically, soils with characteristics that place them in Classes 1 – 3 are suitable for crop production in dryfarmed areas. Those soils with characteristics that place them in Class 4 or higher, typically require substantial input of human energy or other resources to be productive.
The dryland capability classification of the soils within the County and soil suitability as prime crop land, Figure 6, should both be utilized Planning Commission and County Officials when dealing with situations of non-agricultural development within the County. Those soils exhibiting prime crop land characteristics, especially those areas where irrigation is possible, should, in almost all instances, be retained to prevent any loss of such crop production areas within the County. Those soils exhibiting dryland capability classifications between 1 and 3 should also be retained as these areas are the most suitable for dryland crop production.
The inclusion of Figure 6 in this component of the Red Willow County Comprehensive Development Plan does not eliminate the need for on-site investigation of the soil properties and suitability when dealing with future land use developments, especially larger-scale development projects.
As indicated in Table 27, there are numerous soils which are located in Red Willow County which should be avoided by non-agricultural development and large livestock operations due to the potential for environmental damage and the incompatibility with the soils. These limitations include possible property damage and environmental degradation due to the potential flooding of some areas, as well as, additional factors that increase the potential for pollution of surface and groundwater through run-off and / or seepage into high water tables.
The environmental hazard factors indicated in Table 27 are designed to provide the Red Willow County Planning Commission and other County Officials with an indication of potential environmental problems associated with various land uses which may be proposed in different areas of the County. Table 27 should be examined in detail prior to a determination of whether a specific use is appropriate in a given area. In addition, reference should be made to the Soil Survey of Red Willow County, Nebraska when determining the appropriateness of site specific projects that may occur in the rural areas of the County.
The environmental limitations of the soils listed in Table 27 are mapped on Figures 8 through 11. Figure 8 details the soils suitability for septic tank disposal systems, which are commonly associated with residential dwellings and other non-agricultural land uses. Figure 9 details the soils suitability for sewage lagoons and confined livestock feeding operations. This Figure has been included to show the soils limitations for the development of larger livestock operations within the County and should be used in conjunction with on-site investigations, as well as, use of the Soil Survey of Red Willow County, Nebraska to determine the appropriateness of such uses in select areas of the County when and if they are proposed to be constructed in the future.
Table 27: Use Limitations of Existing Soils Within Red Willow County, Nebraska
1 -------- flooding
2 -------- high water table (less than 6
feet)
3 -------- degree of slope
4 -------- excessive seepage
5 -------- wetness / ponding
6 -------- slow permeability
7 -------- poor
filter
8 -------- depth to rock
env. factors environmental
factors that limit development of various land uses
(indicated
as a number in accordance to the environmental hazard code provided)
limit level level
of limitation that such environmental factors have on the various land
uses
|
SOIL SERIES |
DWELLINGS
(foundations) |
SEPTIC
TANK ABSORPTION FIELDS |
SEWAGE
LAGOONS |
CONFINED
LIVESTOCK FEEDING OPERATIONS* |
|
BANKARD ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
to fair bearing capacity; slight piping hazard in places |
SLIGHT |
4 SEVERE |
4 SEVERE |
|
BARNEY ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
bearing strength but has high water table |
2,6 SEVERE |
4 SEVERE |
2,4,6 SEVERE |
|
BAYARD ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good to poor bearing capacity, depending on
density; moderate to high piping hazard |
SLIGHT |
4 SEVERE |
4 SEVERE |
|
BRIDGEPORT ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; moderate piping hazard |
SLIGHT |
4 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
|
BROKEN
ALLUVIAL LAND & COLBY ENV
FACTORS LIMIT LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; high to moderate piping hazard |
3 MODERATE |
3 MODERATE |
3 MODERATE |
|
GLENBERG ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
to poor bearing capacity depending on density; subject to piping in places |
2 MODERATE |
4 SEVERE |
2,4 SEVERE |
|
HAVERSON ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; moderate to high piping hazard |
1 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
|
HOLDREGE
& KEITH ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
to fair bearing capacity; moderate piping hazard |
SLIGHT |
3,4 MODERATE |
3,4 MODERATE |
|
HORD ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; moderate piping hazard |
SLIGHT |
MODERATE |
MODERATE |
|
HORD
– SLICKSPOT & LAS ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
to poor bearing capacity; subject to piping if sand is silty |
2 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
2,4 MODERATE |
|
McCOOK ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; moderate to high piping hazard |
1 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
4 MODERATE |
Table 27:
Use Limitations of Existing Soils Within Red Willow County, Nebraska (cont.)
1 -------- flooding
2 -------- high water table (less than 6
feet)
3 -------- degree of slope
4 -------- excessive seepage
5 -------- wetness / ponding
6 -------- slow permeability
7 -------- poor
filter
8 -------- depth to rock
env. factors environmental
factors that limit development of various land uses
(indicated
as a number in accordance to the environmental hazard code provided)
limit level level
of limitation that such environmental factors have on the various land
uses
|
SOIL SERIES |
DWELLINGS
(foundations) |
SEPTIC
TANK ABSORPTION FIELDS |
SEWAGE
LAGOONS |
CONFINED
LIVESTOCK FEEDING OPERATIONS* |
|
SANDY
ALLUVIAL LAND ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Fair
to poor bearing capacity; piping hazard if sand is silty |
1,2 MODERATE |
1,2 MODERATE |
1,2 MODERATE |
|
ULYSSES ENV
FACTORS LIMIT
LEVEL |
Good
to poor bearing capacity; silt causes a piping hazard |
SLIGHT |
3,4 MODERATE |
3,4 MODERATE |
* DATA INTERPOLATED BY STAHR & ASSOCIATES, INC.,
2001
SOURCE: SOIL
SURVEY OF RED WILLOW COUNTY, NEBRASKA – UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Water Supply
Water supplies are adequate throughout most of the County. On the uplands a sandy deposit underlying the deposits of loess is the chief source of water. Excellent water is also obtained from wells that tap this source at a depth of 100 to 300 feet. The wells average from 140 to 160 feet in depth. On the bottom lands the underlying material is alluvial sand, and it provides an excellent source of water. Wells on the flood plains range from 8 to 15 feet deep in Red Willow Creek valley and from 15 to 30 feet deep in the Republican River valley. The wells on the terraces range from 20 to 30 feet deep.
Water for some crops is provided by irrigation. The first irrigation district in Red Willow County was organized in 1912 and irrigated 2,930 acres from the Meeker Canal for about 45 years. Since that time, the construction of irrigation districts and the development of new wells have increased the amount of land that can be irrigated. Recent numbers indicate that now over 67,000 acres are irrigated within the County. Recent numbers also indicate that there are now over 930 wells within the County.
Red Willow County is in the western part of the Loess Plains, a part of the Great Plains. It consists of nearly level to gently sloping tablelands, the fringes of which are dissected by the valleys of the Republican River and by those of Driftwood, Red Willow and Beaver Creeks and a few smaller streams. Figure 10 details a breakdown of the many different degrees of slopes, by soil association, within the County.
The larger area of the uplands lies across the south-central part of the County, south of the Republican River valley and north of Beaver Creek. The tablelands here are very gently sloping but drop abruptly to the stream valleys and deeply entrenched ravines. The channels at the heads of many of the tributary drainageways are steep sided but shallow and in their lower courses break into ravines that are deep and gullied.
The valley of the Republican River is deeply entrenched. It is about 2 to 2 ½ miles wide. The bottom land lies only 5 to 10 feet above the normal water level. Bordering the river are extensive alluvial terraces. These terraces are high above overflow from the river and are as much as 1 ½ to 2 miles wide in places.
Most of the County is drained by the Republican River, which flows through the central part of the County from west to east. It drains about 500 square miles of the County, and Beaver Creek drains much of the rest. About 8 square miles in the northeastern corner of the County, however, are drained by Medicine Creek, and about 3 square miles in the southeastern corner is drained by tributaries of Sappa Creek.
Because of the many streams that drain the County, drainage is good in most areas. An area about 8 miles northwest of McCook, however, is not drained by any stream. This area covers about 4 square miles. The surface is nearly level but has a few depressions.
During periods of heavy rainfall or during uncommonly “wet” seasons, areas within Red Willow County are prone to flooding. Figure 11 details the locations within Red Willow County where both frequent and occasional flooding occurs. It is important to note such locations when dealing with any proposed future land use developments, including larger livestock developments, so that development of improper uses do not occur in these areas that would result in either property damage or environmental degradation.
Future development in the County may be affected by the presence of man-made features such as the geographic locations of the urban communities in the County, the location of county roads and highways, recreational facilities and current farmstead development.
The rural areas of the County have had limited development beyond the crop land, range land and related agricultural uses currently in place. This indicates that there is not a substantial market demand for rural non-agricultural housing, commercial or industrial uses in areas other than those in and around the urban centers within the County.
The City of McCook, the County
Seat, is located in the west-central
portion of the County and has a year 2000 population of 7,994 persons. The City of Indianola is located in the
north-central portion of the County and has a population of 642 persons. The Village of Bartley is located in the
northeastern portion of the County and has a population of 355 persons. The Village of Danbury is located in the
southeastern portion of the County and has a population of 127 persons; and the
Village of Lebanon is located in the southeastern portion of the County and has
a population of 70 persons.
The presence of multiple urban areas within the County creates increased potential of expansion of urban uses into rural area, specifically in areas surrounding these communities. It is important to note that this potential exists within the County to properly plan for future land use within the County.
Railroad transportation for the County if provided by the Sante Fe Burlington Northern Railroad and the NKC Rairoad. Two lines traverse the County, the main line follows the valley of the Republican River and provides rail access to the cities of Lincoln, Nebraska, Chicago, Illinois and Denver, Colorado. The Cities of McCook, Indianola and the Village of Bartley are located along this line. A branch line of the same railroad passes through Beaver Creek valley, in the southeastern part of the County, and connects the towns of Lebanon, Danbury and Marion. Most areas in the County are less than 10 miles from a shipping point.
U.S. Highways 6 and 34 cross the County by way of the valley of the Republican River. U.S. Highway 83 crosses the County from north to south through the City of McCook.
The Republican River and many creeks within the County provide water for recreation within Red Willow County. In addition, the large number of farm ponds provide hunting of migratory waterfowl and fishing for sportsmen.
Due to the environmental sensitivity of the Republican River corridor, the development of confined livestock feeding operations or other uses which have the potential to degrade the River environment or scenic quality should be avoided. The Republican River will also encourage the development of additional recreational and tourist oriented uses as more and more persons outside of the County come to recognize the scenic quality of Red Willow County, Nebraska.