Drought declaration
The governor’s drought declaration executive order authorizes and directs all agencies under the jurisdiction of the governor to implement the appropriate watch, warning or emergency level-drought response actions assigned in the Operations Plan of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.
County Drought Stage Declarations:
• Drought Emergency: Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Kiowa, Lane, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Norton, Rawlins, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Wichita.
• Drought Warning: Barber, Ellis, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rooks, Rush and Stafford.
• Drought Watch: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson and Wyandotte.
For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Climate and Drought webpage on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.
TOPEKA – As much of Kansas continues to wither under a worsening drought, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly Monday approved updated drought declarations for all 105 Kansas counties. The executive order places the counties either in watch, warning or emergency status.
In the Golden Belt: Edwards, Hodgeman and Ness fall under the emergency (the most critical); Pawnee, Rush and Stafford in a warning; and Barton, Ellworth, Rice and Russell in a watch.
In all, the declaration placed 34 counties into an emergency status, eight counties in a warning status and 63 into a watch status. This action was recommended by Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office and chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.
Although most of Kansas has experienced high precipitation this past month, a record-breaking heat wave has been making its way across the area, she said. While most of eastern Kansas is currently drought free, the forecasted hot and dry conditions will likely lead to the rapid intensification of drought conditions in portions of the Midwest over the next few weeks.
“We have watched drought conditions in parts of the state continue to get worse since this past fall or longer in some areas, causing concern with groundwater supplies, crop production, elevated wildfire risk and more,” said Owen. “The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to monitor the situation and make recommendations to the governor as necessary. As future outlooks call for hot and dry conditions to continue into July, the potential for a ‘flash drought’ is likely.”
Through an interagency agreement between the Kansas Water Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Kansas Division of Emergency Management, counties in emergency stage are eligible for emergency use of water from certain state fishing lakes. These counties also become eligible for water in some Federal reservoirs.
Individuals and communities need to contact the Kansas Water Office for a water supply request prior to any withdrawals from lakes. These requests will in turn be referred to the appropriate office to obtain necessary permits to withdraw requested water.
This Executive Order shall remain in effect for those counties so identified until rescinded by Executive Order ending the declaration or revising the drought stage status of the affected counties.
“A significant portion of the state of Kansas has experienced drought or abnormally dry conditions for the past several months,” said Kelly. “Unfortunately, these conditions are forecast to persist or get worse, so I strongly encourage Kansans to be mindful of drought conditions while we work to minimize the threat of fires across the state.”
Drought stages
• Watch: Impacts include some damage to crops and pastures, high rangeland fire danger and a growing threat of public water supply shortages. The Governor is notified and the Governor’s Drought Response Team assembled. Open outdoor burning bans may be imposed. Public water systems may ask for voluntary water use restrictions.
• Warning: Crop and pasture losses are likely with some stock water shortages and very high rangeland fire danger. Public water supply shortages may be present and some streamflow targets may not be met. Public water systems may impose mandatory water use restrictions. Urgent Kansas Water Marketing Program surplus water supply contracts can be authorized for municipal and industrial users. The Governor may request emergency haying and grazing authorization for Conservation Reserve program acres.
• Emergency: Widespread major crop and pasture losses are accompanied by stock water shortages and extreme rangeland fire danger.
Severe public water supply shortages are widespread with many streamflow targets not met. The Governor may declare an outdoor burning ban. Public water systems may impose additional mandatory water use restrictions. Emergency Kansas Water Marketing Program surplus water supply contracts can be authorized for municipal and industrial users. Emergency water withdrawals from Corps of Engineers reservoirs and state fishing lakes can be authorized. Corps of Engineers emergency water assistance to municipalities is available if needed. The governor may request a USDA Secretarial disaster designation for drought.
