By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

During Thursday’s Hays City Commission work session, commissioners discussed lifting the Water Watch from the city due to current wellfield levels and the drought projection. According to Utilities Director Bernie Kitten, all of the city’s wells are “well above” a watch state.

“At a worst case scenario, we won’t actually hit the watch level until September of 2015 if we get little to no precipitation and have the same amount of usage,” Kitten said.

City Manager Toby Dougherty added the Smoky Hill wellfield “gave the city the most trouble when the city was in a water warning.”

The current drought monitor also lists the Hays area as “abnormally dry, which is the lowest intensity level on the monitor.

“When you go into a watch, (the city) is putting customers on notice that something has changed and you still need to be careful,” Dougherty said. “The biggest restrictions are placed on us internally. We cut back on certain ways we use water such as parks and medians. We’ve made a lot of changes, but it doesn’t change our incentives.”

If the commission approves the change next week, some restrictions will remain in place. Customers will still be prohibited from outdoor watering from noon to 7 p.m. during the summer months.

“I hope people understand that we’re not lifting the restrictions on the use of water,” Commissioner Kent Steward said. “It’s only these special drought kind of drought-related restrictions that will get lifted. Our incentive programs will still remain the same.”

Commissioners do have the power to preemptively move in and out of a watch or warning based on projections.