Tagged: water

The city of Wichita has scheduled six public meetings to get input from residents on how to respond to prolonged drought conditions. Officials want to gather information about how people are being affected by the drought and to generate ideas for extending the water supply.

“We’re looking for water utility customers, both residential and business, to weigh in on the issue,” said Ben Nelson, strategic services manager for Wichita's Public Works and Utilities.

A Water Usage and Conservation meeting was held Tuesday at Wichita’s Central Library, organized by the League of Women Voters. A three-member panel addressed questions about the future of Wichita's water supply including concerns about Cheney Reservoir.

Cheney provides 60 percent of the city's water supply and if the drought continues is projected to run dry by August 2015.

“We are going into a three year drought," says Ben Nelson, Strategic Services Manager for Wichita’s Public Works & Utilities Department.

The Wichita City Council approved funding Tuesday for two of the most heavily used municipal pools in Wichita. The pools must meet new ADA requirements.

College Hill pool on the east side of Wichita and Harvest on the west side will split $80,000 from the Capital Improvement Program to meet the new federal ADA standards. That's half of the funding, with the other 50 percent coming from the Department of Public Works and Utilities.

The Wichita Public Works and Water Utility staff made a presentation of their drought plan Friday to Gov. Sam Brownback's Drought Response Team.

The presentation in Topeka was a condensed version of the plan they presented to the Wichita City Council last Tuesday.

Gov. Brownback praised the Wichita plan and says it's a model that should be shared with other communities in Kansas.

The plan includes alternatives for reducing water demand and increasing water supply to address both the current drought and future needs.