TOPEKA — Governor Laura Kelly has signed a proclamation approving updated drought declarations for Kansas counties, according to a statement from her office.
“Drought conditions have persisted across Kansas through the winter and spring, and we must respond accordingly,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “As we head into the summer months, where we typically see drier conditions, I urge Kansans to consider their water usage and take extra care to prevent wildfires.”
The drought declaration placed three counties into emergency status, 39 counties into warning status, and 63 counties into watch status. This action was recommended by Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team. Precipitation totals have varied widely across Kansas in recent weeks, with some eastern and southeastern counties receiving heavy rainfall that temporarily improved surface moisture, while central and western regions continue to experience worsening drought conditions. Despite these isolated rains, much of the state remains below average for cumulative precipitation, with ongoing deficits in soil moisture and declining streamflows.
“While we’ve seen precipitation in various regions of the state this spring, the long-term effects of drought have prevented improvements in the overall conditions,” said Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team. “The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to monitor the drought conditions across Kansas and make recommendations to Governor Kelly as conditions change.”
Through an interagency agreement between the Kansas Water Office, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, counties in the emergency stage are eligible for emergency water use from certain state fishing lakes and some federal reservoirs.
Individuals and communities must contact the Kansas Water Office for a water supply request before withdrawing water from lakes. These requests will, in turn, be referred to the appropriate office to obtain the necessary permits to withdraw the requested water.
This proclamation shall remain in effect for those counties identified until rescinded by a proclamation ending the declaration or revising the drought stage status of the affected counties.
Effective immediately, the proclamation:
- Declares a Drought Emergency, Warning, or Watch for the counties as identified below;
- 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.
The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to watch the situation closely and work to minimize the negative drought-induced effects on Kansans. Kansans are encouraged to report drought-related conditions and impacts in their region through the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) system.
For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Climate and Drought webpage on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.
County Drought Stage Declarations:
Drought Emergency: Harvey, Reno, Sedgwick.
Drought Warning: Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Edwards, Grant, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Jewell, Kingman, Kiowa, Lyon, McPherson, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Morton, Norton, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Rice, Rush, Seward, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Washington.
Drought Watch: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Coffey, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Gray, Greeley, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearny, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Riley, Rooks, Russell, Saline, Scott, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Wichita, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.