Governor Kathleen Sebelius Issues Drought Watch, Warning for Kansas Counties
"After a spring that brought promising rains and hope for long-term drought relief, the month of July has seen the return of hot, dry weather throughout Kansas. This, combined with the fact that moisture conditions have been low following last years' drought has caused a rapid depletion of soil moisture and increased stress on pastures and summer crops. And, unfortunately, the weather forecast offers us no significant relief across the state in the near future," Governor Kathleen Sebelius said.
Therefore, Governor Sebelius yesterday issued a drought warning for counties in the western and northern Kansas and a drought watch for the balance of the state. A drought warning indicates the presence of a severe drought; a drought watch, a moderate drought. The dry conditions are taking their toll on crops, pasture and stream flow. Various communities in the affected areas are asking for voluntary water conservation.
Sebelius said that the Kansas Water Office has confirmed that conditions continue to decline, as reflected in the nationwide Drought Monitor and the state's official drought trigger, the Palmer Drought Severity Index. "Even though the Palmer Drought Index doesn't indicate an official drought in all counties, it's important that we take this preemptive action," Governor Sebelius said.
Governor Sebelius also has activated the Governor's Drought Response Team comprised of state and federal agencies and individuals with needed expertise to best deal with drought conditions. The team's initial meeting was at 9 a.m., today at the Kansas Water Office.
"We must remember that drought is a recurring natural phenomenon in Kansas," Sebelius said. "By monitoring conditions and keeping citizens informed, we hope to avoid a water crisis."
As part of the drought watch, Governor Sebelius takes the following actions:
- Notify and convene the drought response team.
- Notify county commissioners in the affected areas of the drought conditions and remind them of their responsibilities
- Notify all managers of state facilities in the affected basins and inform them they should be prepared to implement the drought contingency provisions of their water conservation plans.
The Governor noted that all public water suppliers and self-supplied industrial, domestic and irrigation water users should monitor their source of supply and review legal agreements for any restrictions and responsibilities they have regarding their use of water.
Governor Sebelius emphasizes that Kansas has a proactive approach to drought. Communities are periodically reminded of their drought vulnerability and urged to review the drought contingency steps in their water conservation plans or prepare a plan if they do not have one. In eastern Kansas, proactive drought mitigating activities include the acquisition of storage space in the federal reservoirs for water supply/marketing programs and implementation of water assurance programs for water supply during a drought.
While we are under this drought watch, Governor Sebelius has ordered the State-owned fountain at the Curtis Building to be turned off and is pleased that Chief Justice Kay McFarland has agreed that the Judicial Center fountain would be turned off as well.
Counties Included in the Executive Order No. 03-15
Drought Warning Counties by Climate/Crop Reporting District
Northwest: Cheyenne, Decatur, Graham, Norton, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas
West Central: Gove, Greeley, Lane, Logan, Ness, Scott, Trego, Wallace and Wichita
Southwest: Clark, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Meade, Morton, Seward, Stanton, Stevens
North Central: Clay, Cloud, Jewell, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Philips, Republic, Rooks, Smith, Washington
Northeast: Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley, Wyandotte
Counties Included in the Executive Order No. 03-16
Drought Watch Counties by Climate/Crop Reporting District
Central: Barton, Dickinson, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, McPherson, Marion, Rice, Rush, Russell, Saline
South Central: Barber, Comanche, Edwards, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Sedgwick, Stafford, Sumner
East Central: Anderson, Chase, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Linn, Lyon, Miami, Morris, Osage, Shawnee, Wabaunsee
Southeast: Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, Woodson
For more information on drought, go to the Agriculture website, http://www.accesskansas.org/kda/droughtinfo.htm or the Kansas Water Office drought page: http://www.kwo.org/Reports/drought.htm.
