TOPEKA–Despite recent rains, drought conditions in Kansas continue to worsen. Today Governor Sam Brownback updated the Drought Declaration for Kansas counties with Executive Order 14-04. The update includes all 105 counties either in an emergency, warning or watch status. This order places more than half of Kansas counties in an emergency drought status.
“Kansans need to know no matter where you live in the state, the drought is not over. Some areas have been experiencing drought for almost five years,” said Governor Brownback in a news release. “Continued below normal precipitation patterns are not only depleting the little soil moisture we have, but is resulting in below normal levels in our reservoirs and further decline of our stream flow conditions.”
The updated drought declaration has moved 26 counties into a warning status and 23 into a watch status while 56 counties are in emergency status. This action was recommended by Tracy Streeter, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.
“It is imperative we closely monitor conditions for the state as they could deteriorate quickly with no reserves as we start to enter warmer and drier months,” said Tracy Streeter. “Some areas of Kansas are behind more than seven inches in soil moisture and the seasonal outlook shows increased drought conditions shifting farther east than originally projected.”
County Drought Stage Declarations:
Drought Emergency: Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Lyon, Meade, Morton, Ness, Norton, Pawnee, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Rice, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wallace, Wichita
Drought Warning: Cherokee, Cloud, Coffey, Crawford, Dickinson, Douglas, Elk, Greenwood, Jewell, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Phillips, Rooks, Republic, Saline, Smith, Washington, Wilson
Drought Watch: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Clay, Doniphan, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Marshall, Miami, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Woodson, Wyandotte