Wichita city officials are warning that the water levels at Cheney Reservoir are getting so low that the city may soon need to go to Stage 2 drought measures that will include mandatory limits on the amount of water residents can use for watering lawns and gardens.
Wichita draws about 70% of its water from Cheney Lake.
For Wichita River Festival fans, the coming week of rain in the Wichita forecast is producing groans. And the reality is, rain in Wichita every day of the Festival is groan-worthy and it won’t help the levels in Cheney Lake.
That’s because water flowing into the reservoir comes from the Cheney Watershed and significant rainfall across that region is what we need.
The Cheney Lake Watershed (North Fork Ninnescah River) covers 633,000 acres within five counties in south central Kansas. Those include Rice, Reno, Stafford, Pratt and Kiowa. Recent precipitation has removed some portions of south central Kansas from Extreme Drought status, but significant portions of the Cheney Lake Watershed are still designated as in “Severe” to “Moderate” drought condition.
And the wet forecast for Wichita during River Festival isn’t mirrored in the next week’s forecast for that area. The forecast for Hutchinson in Reno County, for example, says a “chance of showers” but the percentage attached is less than 50%. It’s pretty much the same for Pratt County.
Worse still, the long-range 30-day forecast from the National Weather Service calls for a hotter and drier June than normal for all of south-central Kansas.
As of February 1st, the Cheney Conservation Pool is at 69.2% full. The Drought Trigger, the 12-month average, stands at 73.8%, Stage 2 of the Drought Trigger would be reached if the 12-month average falls below 69%. Current modeling indicates Stage 2 drought restrictions may be needed as soon as July 2024.
