WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – After more than two weeks of restrictions, the City of Wichita provided further insight into the amount of water savings.

When the city of Wichita implemented water restrictions on Aug. 5, it said the goal was to reduce water use by 10%. On Thursday, the city announced it had met that goal. The conservation measures come as water levels in Cheney Lake, one of Wichita’s main water sources, are dropping due to the ongoing drought.

“We don’t want people to relax their water restrictions, and we’re not going to do that,” said Gary Janzen, director of Wichita’s public works department.

Janzen said from July 22 to July 28, before restrictions were implemented, Wichita residents used about 476.1 million gallons of water in a week. In the first week of restrictions, water use dropped 16%, and in the second week, it dropped 34% compared to the week before restrictions.

In Phase 2 of the Wichita Drought Response PlanVoluntary conservation measures are mandatory. One restriction limits watering of lawns and gardens to once a week.

“Although this indicates some decline in consumption, many factors could influence these figures and we do not want citizens to feel that they can now change their habits or practices,” Janzen said.

Community members who spoke to 12 News on Thursday said they are doing their part to conserve water. While some report seeing others breaking the rules, the city said it does not plan to issue fines. The city has issued 165 warnings regarding water usage, but Wichita’s public works director said we need to keep going in this direction.

“This is about education, not enforcement. We want people to really find ways to do their part to continue to conserve water and reduce water use during the drought and in the future,” Janzen said.

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