Are Wichita’s new permanent watering restrictions bad news for your lawn, garden?
Wichita’s new permanent water restrictions begin this month, and customers may have questions on what the regulations mean for the health of their yard.
City water customers have been under stage two of the city’s drought response plan for more than a year now. That stage limited watering to once a week. Starting Monday, Sept. 15, the restrictions will change to allow every-other-day watering.
The restrictions follow years of drought in the area. As of Aug. 4, Cheney Reservoir’s 12-month rolling average level was 65.9%, according to the city’s drought page, and as of Aug. 26, it’s sitting at 99% full. The reservoir serves the city’s water system.
Initially, Wichita officials planned to end once-a-week watering restrictions only after Cheney reached a 70% rolling average, which wasn’t expected until next month. But the City Council voted to end the watering restrictions early in an August meeting.
The new restrictions allow addresses ending in odd numbers to water Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while even addresses can water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No watering is allowed Mondays. Additionally, watering is only allowed after 6 p.m. or before 10 a.m.
These restrictions do not apply for those who use well water.
While the new permanent restrictions allow more watering, it still may be less than customers desire to keep their lawns and garden maintained. The Wichita Eagle spoke with Abbey Draut, a horticultural agent with Sedgwick County’s extension office, to answer questions about what the restrictions may mean for your yard.
Will lawns suffer due to every-other-day watering?
According to Draut, who worked closely with the city on the water restrictions, most yards and plants will not suffer from every-other-day watering. In fact, most lawns shouldn’t be watered every day.
“I don’t believe that the every-other-day watering will affect [the health of lawns], and in fact, it may improve resiliency of lawns,” she said. “We don’t recommend that you water a lawn every day.”
With the new restrictions, Draut recommends using your watering days to water the soil deeper.
“It is ideal that you water deeply and frequently and slowly to promote that deeper root growth,” Draut said.
The resilience of a plant depends on its type and maturity.
“Obviously every plant is going to vary in guess, if we’re looking broadly, most plants will vary based off of the type of soil they’re planted in and the maturity of the plant,” Draut said.
What about newly seeded lawns and plants?
The only way every-other-day watering will affect someone’s yard is if it’s new seed, Draut said.
“Most plants don’t need water every day, unless you’re establishing a new lawn from seed or sod, then it will require watering ... at least three times a day, sometimes more, to keep the seed wet,” Draut said.
The city says there will be ways to apply for exemptions in the case of newly seeded lawns, but they haven’t decided what the process looks like yet.
“As far as [a] new-planted tree goes, that needs like 10 gallons of water a week to get established,” Draut said. “A lot of times you can go every other day on new shrubs and other ornamental grasses.”
Can I water by hand under Wichita’s drought restrictions?
Yes, Wichita water customers will still be allowed to water their yards by hand on non-watering days.
What about vegetable gardens?
Food-producing and vegetable gardens are exempt from the restrictions. But keep in mind it’s possible to overwater your garden, as some in the area found out during June’s heavy rainfall. Vegetable gardens should receive about an inch of water per week.
The city is holding an informational session and officials will answer questions beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8 at City Hall.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
