New mandatory water conservation plan put in place for Atchison
ATCHISON, Kan. (KCTV) - A new mandatory water conservation plan that was announced Tuesday morning is now in effect in Atchison, Kansas.
City leaders are concerned about record low river levels and a second ice jam floating down from Nebraska.
The river levels are so low the main pump no longer works and an auxiliary pump is being used.
“I’ve been around here for 50 years,” said Atchison resident Alfred Fenton. “I don’t remember it being this low.”
Fenton joked he was doing his part to conserve by drinking a margarita instead of water.
La Maria Mexican Restaurant was utilizing to-go containers for drinks and some meals to help save with dishes.
“Yeah, we’ve been using the to-go containers in case we run out of dishes,” said Jackie Gonzales. “Let’s just use to-go containers to reduce the amount of dirty dishes we give to the back.”
Businesses are being asked to conserve where they can and only use water as necessary to keep businesses up and running.
The city warns that could change if there are water leaks and other unforeseen problems.
Residents are also being asked to do their part to conserve.
Laundry and dishes are considered essential for hygiene, but residents cannot wash cars or water plants.
Below is a graphic from the National Weather Service that should help you visualize how an ice jam impacts river levels.
Previous coverage:
City of Atchison mandates residents conserve water due to Missouri River ice jam
City of Atchison urges public to conserve water
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