KANSAS CITY - Next month, the Wichita City Council will discuss an ordinance proposal that would establish an outdoor watering schedule to help safeguard the city's main water supply - Cheney Lake.
The proposal would set a watering schedule for every-other-day, either Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, with no watering on Sunday. Watering would not be allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The city says around 20% of water use in the city goes to outdoor irrigation.
Stage 2 drought restrictions have been in place since last August due to low water levels at Cheney Lake. Watering is currently allowed just one day a week, prior to 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Watering is not allowed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Public works director Gary Janzen said without the rain last November and in May and June, the city would have been in real trouble and may have entered Stage 3 drought restrictions. That stage which would have banned all outdoor watering.
The proposed watering schedule would be the norm when the city is not in any drought restrictions.
Janzen says it’s crucial for the city to stay the course with their drought response plan. Cheney Lake can have multiple feet of water evaporate during the summer months, so it's important to not lift restrictions too early just to revert back.