City officials say the extremely dry and hot weather conditions, city and rural irrigation combined with increased overall water usage, has resulted in a significant reduction in available water from the Smoky Hill River.

The City of Salina addresses its short-term water shortage problems through a series of stages based on the evaluation of conditions affecting supply and demand. Each stage is more stringent in attempting to reduce water use than the previous stage. Depending upon the severity of these conditions, the city manager is authorized to declare a “Water Watch,” a “Water Warning,” or a “Water Emergency” and to implement appropriate conservation measures.

The current extremely dry and hot weather conditions now warrant a declaration of a “Water Watch” stage by the city manager.

The capacity of public wells to produce their required volume of water is stable, and the water table is currently seven feet above the level it was at in 2006. However, the point at which obtaining a sufficient quantity of water from the Smoky Hill River is questionable. Salina must utilize both well and river sources to meet daily peak supply requirements.

The goal of the declaration of a “Water Watch” stage is to heighten public awareness of water supply conditions, to maintain the integrity of the water supply system, and to ask for voluntary reductions in water use to avoid implementing mandatory restrictions. The City will issue periodic news releases to provide updates on water supply conditions and water conservation (indoor and outdoor use) information to customers.

Water customers are strongly encouraged to practice water conservation, especially regarding lawn-watering and other outdoor uses. Water conservation and reduced usage at this time will help the City avoid implementing a “Water Warning,” which would include lawn-watering restrictions, or a “Water Emergency,” which would ban lawn-watering.

The City recommends that private domestic well users follow the same practices as the public water users, as all the water comes from the same aquifer.