By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
Feature Image Caption: City of Hays Water Conservation Specialist Holly Dickman, shows how the dry conditions caused by the drought have impacted residents across Kansas.
Fort Hays State University and FHSU’s Student Government Association have partnered with the City of Hays to inform students about current issues of water because of the drought that has affected the area. Throughout SGA’s Green Week, various events on campus and around town have been organized to promote sustainability and water conservation to teach residents how to care for their properties amid dry conditions.
A lecture about this ordeal was hosted on Tuesday by City of Hays Water Conservation Specialist Holly Dickman where she presented facts about how Kansas has been impacted by the drought and the technicalities associated with water conservation.
Dickman stressed the issue of water shortage isn’t limited to Kansas but is also on a national and international scale.
“If you go on the internet, you can find all sorts of headlines right now all over the world about water,” she said. “This is going to continue, and it’s not only in the area of the southwest part of the country, but even in Washington, D.C., Michigan and some of the other places that we think we would have plenty of water.”
Throughout the lecture, Dickman displayed effects of the drought across Kansas, including images of the Smoky Hill River and its fluctuating water levels, the varying levels of the Drought Monitor of the state and the lack of enough rainfall to curb the drought’s effects.
“Last year at this time, we were considered in a severe and extreme drought,” she said. “This year, we’re still in a drought, but an early, moderate drought instead. However, we’ve only had 10 inches plus of rainfall for the year, worst case 20 inches of rain. So, it varies from where you are in the county, but right now, we’re still in a drought.”
She mentioned that further forecasts do not look favorable for the state.
“Unfortunately, the seasonal temperature and precipitation outlets aren’t looking so great for this area,” Dickman said. “We’re saying probably higher than average temperatures, lower than average precipitation. The drought outlet is also not looking very favorable for us right now and they are predicting that the drought persists through November.”
As a result of the concerns regarding these predictions, residents and city governments, including Hays, have taken measures to save water during certain times of the day.
“We do have water restrictions in place,” Dickman said. “From June 1 through September 30, there’s no outdoor watering allowed between noon and 7 p.m. So, if you’re using water outdoors during that time and someone happens to catch you, we could potentially get a violation. The wasting of water is also prohibited year-round, which means no washing down hard surfaces, and you can’t wash down your driveway or power wash your house without a special need or permit.”
To ensure people follow these guidelines, the city offers incentives to residents to encourage water conservation through educational outreach at public events, television, radio and the Hays Water Conservation website. Through this, the city lays out methods of saving water, landscaping conservatively and sustainably and investing in water efficient items to earn money back as a reward.
Dickman noted that these incentives have proven to be successful in influencing responsible water use in Hays.
“Because of all those efforts, we are the leaders in water conservation,” she said. “We are the lowest in the state as far as per capita water use. So, we average about 83-84 gallons per person.”
She concluded the lecture by encouraging everyone to practice water conservation however they can and report any scenario of water waste.
“Hays is really conscientious about trying to fix water leaks as quickly as possible,” she said. “There are towns that would let it go for months, but we try to fix water leaks immediately. So, if you see something, call water resources.”
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