The National Weather Service said the Cheney Reservoir in Reno, Kingman and Sedgwick counties is at its lowest level since 2013.
The Weather Service issued an update this week that said the reservoir is a little more than six feet below the normal conservation level. This is due to a drier start in the first half of the year and current drought conditions.
The elevation level on July 10th was 1,415.4 feet, which is 6.22 feet below the normal conservation level of 1421.6 feet.
Wichita officials have been watching the water levels at the reservoir, which is one of the main sources of drinking water for the community. The city is currently in Stage One of its drought response plan, which calls for voluntary water conservation efforts, but a decision to move to Stage Two may be in the near future. That would involve some mandatory restrictions on water use. The city’s public works director, Gary Janzen, recently told City Council members that the city has been using a 50-50 mix of water from the reservoir and the Equus Beds aquifer. He said staff has been looking at increasing the use of the aquifer because of the situation at Cheney.
[ photo: KWCH ]
