I got a question about our water situation here in town. With all these drought conditions being reported around the state, what's going on with Lexington's water supply right now? Are there any restrictions on watering lawns or washing cars that folks should be aware of?

That's a great question, especially with virtually the entire state now in drought conditions, and moderate and severe drought expanded across western and central areas. Here in Lexington, we're actually in a somewhat different situation than some other parts of Kentucky. Kentucky American Water, serving Lexington and central Kentucky, operates independently from Ohio River sources, drawing from the Kentucky River system. Right now, we're under Stage 1 voluntary reduction requested status, which means they're asking customers to voluntarily cut back about ten percent on water usage, but there aren't any mandatory restrictions yet on things like watering your lawn or washing your car.

So we're not at the point where they're telling people specific days they can water or anything like that?

Not yet. That would come if we moved to Stage 2, which would trigger the odd-even watering schedules with enforcement. What's helpful to know is that hand watering with a shut-off nozzle and drip irrigation are exempt from day-of-week limits statewide, so even when restrictions do kick in, you can still take care of your plants by hand. The state is encouraging all of us to be mindful right now. Some communities like Liberty in Casey County are already dealing with dangerously low water levels and requesting residents reduce usage as much as possible, limiting non-essential water use like watering lawns and washing vehicles.

Any sense of how this might develop over the next few weeks?

The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting Kentucky to have near or slightly below temperatures and slightly above normal precipitation through early May, which could help. But the period from November twenty twenty-five through March twenty twenty-six ranks as the fifth-driest five-month period on record for Kentucky's western climatic division, so we're definitely playing catch-up. For now, just being conscious about not letting the sprinkler run too long or leaving the hose on while you're washing the car makes a difference.

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