Mark Your Calendar....

HOW TO GET RID OF THOSE

UNWANTED NEWSPAPERS

Drought Status

 

We are in Drought Stage 0.  Water supply status is Above Normal.  Cheney Lake changed from the conservation pool to the flood pool on April 28, 2016.  Our dam operators have been on call since April 2016, and throughout 2016, there have been numerous releases directed by the Corps of Engineers.  At the direction of the Army Corps. of Engineers, water was released from January 17th through January 27th.  At the end of the latest release, the Corps. of Engineers allowed 4% of the flood pool to remain filled, and we are pulling 75% of our raw water from Cheney.    

 

The Equus Beds Aquifer is 98% full (January 2016), which in practical terms is full.   At Cheney, the conservation pool is 102.4% full.  Our Drought Trigger stands at 100.0%, an increase of 0.0 % from last month. 

 

On February 1st the 1990-2013 average lake level has been 96.0%

On March 1st the 1990-2013 average lake level has been 98.8%

 

On February 1st, 102.4%of the conservation pool at Cheney is filled, an increase of 0.1% from last month.  

 

The graph below shows the lake level (% of Conservation Pool full) since 2011 (dashed).  It also shows the 12-Month Average versus the drought triggers (dark blue).  The thin purple line is the average lake level on the first of the month from 1990 through 2013. 

2017 Kansas Severe Weather Awareness Week...

S evere Weather A wareness Week this year runs from March 5-11, with the statewide tornado drill scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th at 10:00 AM. Please note that we will not have our normal siren test at noon on Monday that week, but will instead plan to sound them at 10:0 0 Tuesday. If the weather doesn't cooperate for the Tuesday test, the backup date is March 9. 

The Severe Weather Awareness Week packet produced by the National Weather Service can be found by following this link:  http://www.weather.gov/media/ict/SWAW/SWAW_2017.pdf . It contains a lot of great information about what we went through last year, and how to be prepared for it this year. As reported in the Wichita Eagle, one local private weather enterprise issued their spring severe weather outlook over the weekend that said, in part, the severe weather season across the Great Plains  could  start in March this year because the dominant weather pattern of the winter appears poised to linger into spring. They are referring to the record number of heavy storms moving into California this winter which, as they move east, will be interacting with increasingly warm, moist air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico.

Please take the time to review your sheltering plan at home and work, and make sure your disaster kit and any perishable supplies in it are up to date. Then on days when weather threatens, make sure you have multiple ways to stay informed. For our partners with first responders who will be in the field when severe weather threatens, remember that we have the cards first distributed last spring to place in the glove box or door panel to remind them how they can make weather reports to Emergency Management that will help us and the National Weather Service keep others safe who are downstream of the storms. If anyone needs additional copies of these cards for their agency's response vehicles, please let me know.

The 2017 Ozone Season has begun, City of Wichita officials announced today during Mayor Jeff Longwell's weekly news briefing. This is the time of year when City government's Air Quality division monitors and predicts high ozone days for South Central Kansas. Ozone season runs March 1 through Oct. 31, and officials will issue alerts when high ozone days are expected.

 

Ground-level ozone is a health and environmental concern for the people in South Central Kansas. Ground-level ozone is formed when emissions from automobiles, industrial machinery, lawn and garden equipment, paints and solvents are "baked" in heat and intense sunlight.  Air pollution is unhealthy for everyone, but some people are at an increased risk because of their age or existing health conditions. Sensitive groups include children, people with asthma, adults over 65 and people with chronic respiratory disease. There are nearly 300,000 people who may be sensitive to elevated ozone levels in South Central Kansas.

 

In addition to causing health problems, Longwell said, high ozone levels may cause the region to exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Exceeding the air quality standard could result in increased regulations and costs to businesses and the community.

 

When Ozone Alerts are issued, City of Wichita officials will adjust operations and ask residents businesses also to make changes to daily routines that can impact ozone levels. Actions that can reduce ozone-forming emissions on Ozone Alert days include:

Using Wichita Transit or other public transportation;

• Carpooling;
• Reducing energy use;
• Reducing idling time at drive-thru restaurants, pharmacies, banks and railroad crossings;
• Postponing errands, mowing, painting and solvent use until after 6 p.m.; and
• Fueling up after the sun goes down instead of earlier in the day.

1. The community will be advised of Ozone Alert Days through the City's Facebook page; local media outlets; the City's web site (www.wichita.gov), Cox Cable Channel 7; the Intelligent Transportation System message boards located along major highways; Ozone Alert emails (sign up at www.wichita.gov/ozone) and by following beairawareks on Twitter and Instagram.
2.  

City officials, in conjunction with the Air Quality Improvement Task Force, are working to reduce ozone levels across South Central Kansas in Sedgwick, Sumner, Harvey and Butler counties. Local governments, businesses and nonprofits are working together to form partnerships, create action plans and implement projects that reduce ozone and improve air quality across the region.  For more information, please visit - www.wichita.gov/ozone  .

GOT NEWS....

Want to show off, update or broadcast what's happening in your neighborhood, at your school or business in District III? Email your Community Service Representative Teia Wair @ twair@wichita.gov to have your news featured in a future District III newsletter....