The City Council in Ellis will hold a special meeting to discuss water tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Last Wednesday the city announced a move to Stage 3 of the town’s Water Conservation Plan.

For the first time, all outdoor watering is banned.

“Right now our wells are low, but stabilizing,” explains  Ellis Mayor Dave McDaniel.  “But summer will soon be here and that’s when our water usage is highest.”

According to McDaniel, the Kansas Water Office had issued a “Red Alert” for Ellis.  It’s a warning that the town’s water supply,  from a “finger” off the Ogallala Aquifer, has a good potential to dry up.

“We’ll be doing a big water conservation effort,” he says.  “K-State Watershed Specialist Stacie Minson will be here and we’re looking into low-flow shower heads and toilets.  People need to understand why we’ve taken this drastic action.  We’re going to have to conserve water even more than we already are.”

Private well owners are not affected by the outdoor watering ban, yet.  “They still draw water from the same sources and that will cause  it to deplete even more,” McDaniel warns.