By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Additional outdoor watering restrictions in Hays will go into effect Fri., June 1 and continue through Sun., Sept. 30.

Outdoor water use will be prohibited between noon and 7 p.m. for city of Hays water customers and for those with private wells. The control order for private wells was signed April 6 by the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources.

The measure is part of a greater interest to reduce water waste and to improve conservation practices in the Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area (IGUCA) located in Hays. It was established in 1985 at the request of the city to help implement water conservation measures and provide a mechanism to address preventable water waste by privately-owned wells.

By restricting daytime outdoor water use – including the watering of lawns, landscapes and gardens – unnecessary water loss due to wind and evaporation can be reduced, according to Hays Water Conservation Specialist Holly Dickman.

“Typically the evaporation is much higher during that time of day,” Dickman explained, “and also a lot of times the wind is a little bit higher during that time frame – the heat of the day.”

Year-round the city of Hays prohibits washing down of sidewalks, parking lots and driveways; the known loss of water through breaks or leaks in plumbing systems; and the escape of water from landscape irrigation on private property onto public property such as sidewalks or into the street.

Those found to be in violation of the outdoor water prohibitions and restrictions can be fined after an initial warning.