The Independence City Commission will consider declaring a "water emergency" during its next regular session this Thursday.

Due to the ongoing drought, and the potential for that drought to continue, the state of Kansas is starting to restrict the amount of water that the city of Independence uses from the Verdigris River. Officials have already been in touch with the city of Independence and have delivered their first order limiting the city to a maximum of 1,289 GPM that can be pumped from the river. That order went into effect Tuesday. The state anticipates that unless significant rainfall occurs, the river's natural flow will decrease greatly over the next few weeks.

Further orders will likely reduce the allowed intake below the city's average of 1,175-1,250 GPM (or 1.5-1.7 million gallons per day). Therefore, the commission will consider declaring a water emergency and implementing water conservation measures. These measures would include restricting outdoor watering for gardens, lawns, trees, shrubs, plants, playing fields, private swimming pools, or other recreational areas. The residential washing of vehicles, boats, trailers, or the exterior of buildings would also be restricted. However, the restrictions would not extend to commercial car washes or activities involving the care of pets or livestock.

The full agenda for Thursday's city commission meeting can be found here.