Wichita City Council OKs amended drought plan exempting food growers

Wichita’s gardeners and water conservationists won a significant victory Tuesday when the City Council approved an amended drought plan that exempts food growers and commits to a continued push for water conservation.

The new drought plan exempts food-producing gardens that use drip irrigation or hand watering from watering restrictions until the city reaches drought crisis levels. And water conservation will remain a focus, council members said, through continued marketing efforts and the possible renewal next year of the city’s rebate program for energy-efficient appliances.

It also may mean that landscaping requirements will be relaxed during a drought, city officials said.

“This is a very proactive program for us as we move forward,” council member Lavonta Williams said.

Still under consideration is how the city will handle conservation in the future and what stance it will take on landscaping requirements during a drought. City Manager Robert Layton said the city’s planning department will review the longer-term issues.

Council member Janet Miller said she didn’t want to lose sight of conservation during normal rainfall periods such as the current one. She asked for a review of conservation measures at the end of the year, including a possible extension of the city’s rebate program for energy-efficient appliances.

Officials also said they are investigating reports that city water meter readers are telling customers they have been ordered to no longer offer advice on water conservation because the city’s water revenue is falling.

Layton and public works chief Alan King said Tuesday that any such statements are “in direct violation of city policy.” King is investigating the reports.

Earlier this summer, Layton told the council that the city’s water rates, and annual increases of around 5 percent, had been structured to avoid any significant budget issues in the water department.

The drought plan approved by the council includes these stages:

This story was originally published October 8, 2013 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Wichita City Council OKs amended drought plan exempting food growers."