While Mother Nature has loosened her stranglehold on precious rains in recent weeks in southeast Kansas, an ongoing drought exists, Iola officials noted Monday.
That means the water warning issued by the Kansas Water Office restricting excess water usage remains in effect.
The restrictions were ordered Aug. 13 after the water office declared a water warning for all municipalities fed by the Neosho River, including Iola.
Coincidentally, the proclamation was followed days later by substantially cooler, and eventually wetter, weather.
That means Iolans are using much less water than before, Iola Water Plant Superintendent Toby Ross said.
In early August, at the height of the drought, Iolans were using about 10.5 million gallons a week.
Since the arrival of fall, that number has plummeted to about 7 million gallons a week, or a cut of about 33 percent.
“We don’t know how much the water restrictions had to do with that,” Ross said. “I imagine part of it’s just because people weren’t going to use that much with it cooler out, anyway.”
The John Redmond Reservoir, which feeds the Neosho River, has remained static over the weekend, said Ross, who monitors water levels there on a daily basis.
The lake’s elevation has remained at 1,035.58 feet, with its conservation storage at about 48 percent capacity.
“The rains have meant a little more inflow to Redmond, but not enough to push the levels up much,” Ross said. “The levels aren’t going down like they were, but they’re not going up, either.”
Outdoor water use, including lawn watering and car washing, still is restricted to before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m. each day in Iola. Iolans living in even-numbered addresses can water their lawns only on even-numbered dates; the opposite applies for those living in odd-numbered houses.
For what it’s worth, swimming pools still may be refilled only once per week, and Cedarbrook Golf Course can water only its greens after sunset.
