Governor Sebelius Signs Executive Order No. 03-17

Sebelius Approves an Operations Plan for the Governor's Drought Response Team

Nearly three weeks after signing Executive Orders 03-15 and 03-16 declaring Kansas counties in a Drought Warning and Watch, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has now signed Executive Order No. 03-17 approving an Operations Plan for the Governor's Drought Response Team.

"Three weeks ago, I activated the Governor's Drought Response Team and now, I am pleased to announce an Operations Plan for the Drought Response Team. By approving this plan, we institute regulatory guidance to ensure that the state of Kansas responds in a timely and appropriate manner to the impact of drought upon its people, resources, and environment," Governor Sebelius said.

This Operations Plan is intended to provide the Governor's Drought Response Team with an effective and systematic means of monitoring drought conditions and implementing appropriate response actions to limit the adverse impacts of drought. There are three phases within the drought response plan: Drought Watch, Drought Warning, and Drought Emergency.

The response during the Drought Watch phase requires the Governor to be notified by the Kansas Water Office; Governor's Drought Response Team is activiated; county, municipal and public water system officials notified; outdoor burning bans may be imposed; and public water systems may implement Stage 1 Water Watch phase of municipal water conservation plan.

The Drought Warning phase includes public water systems may implement Stage 2 Water Warning phase of municipal water conservation plan. Hay and Pasture Exchange activated; urgent surplus water contracts from state controlled storage authorized; and Governor may request authorization for haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres.

The response plan for the final phase, Drought Emergency, includes mandatory outdoor burning ban in declared counties; public water systems may implement Stage 3 Water Emergency phase of municipal water conservation plan triggered; Emergency surplus water contracts from state controlled storage authorized; Emergency water withdrawals from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoirs and state fishing lakes per Memoranda of Understanding authorized; USACE emergency water assistance if needed; Governor may request Presidential disaster declaration and/or U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster declaration for drought.

The Kansas Water Office developed this plan with input from other state and federal agencies including the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought response plans from the states of Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas also proved valuable in preparing this plan. This executive order is effective immediately.