Wichita mayor Lily Wu reported a slight increase in water usage over the past week, but she said usage has been mostly steady and there has been an overall drop in water usage as the city goes into its second month of outdoor watering restrictions.
The city went into Stage Two of its drought response plan on August 5th, and outdoor watering is limited to one day a week. The city is divided into four quadrants and watering is only for a specific day for each quadrant, with no watering on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Mayor said the city has sent 242 warning letters so far to homes and businesses that have not followed the restrictions. She emphasized that the goal is education and the importance of working together to save water.
The Cheney Reservoir is at 67.2 percent of its conservation pool for the 12-month moving average, and it is now 59.7 percent full. Mayor Wu said recent rainfall did not provide much relief.
The city continues to offer a rebate program on water-saving appliances, such as rain barrels. As of August 30th, more than $50,000 was still available in the program. The city has approved rebates for 343 devices, totaling more than $24,000.
More information on the rebates and on water-saving practices is available at the city’s web site savewichitawater.com.
