Within the next week, Cheney Reservoir is expected to drop to 57.8 percent of the conservation pool, which is an historic low that was last reached in February, 2013.
At her weekly news briefing, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said it’s expected that the lake next month will be just above 55 percent of the conservation pool.
The city has been in stage two of its drought response plan since early August, and the mayor thanked residents who have been taking steps to conserve water. She said it will be important to be aware of the drought situation into the fall and winter months.
The city’s new water treatment plant will begin operations next year and it will be able to treat more water from the Equus Beds aquifer, with less dependence on Cheney Reservoir.
