Residents relieved after city's main water supply rebounds from concerning drought: 'I was praying for rain'

After over a year of drought recovery between 2024 and 2025, Cheney Lake in Kansas is finally 100% recovered, with current levels surpassing 1.5 feet above "full" levels, 12News KWCH reported. 

The lake's restoration is not only releasing water downstream of the North Fork Ninnescah River, which it feeds, but also bringing back residents' favorite recreational activities. 

As one of Wichita's two main water supplies, Cheney Lake, or Cheney Reservoir, provides at least 60% of the city's water, meeting residential, commercial, and agricultural water needs.

In January 2023, the reservoir dipped below 89% of full levels, triggering the city's first stage of its Drought Response Plan. By May 2023, a large portion of the state experienced extreme to exceptional drought, prompting the city to declare the second stage of drought in August 2024, as levels dipped below 69%.

Residents and businesses were instructed to follow mandatory water restrictions, such as watering lawns or gardens only on designated watering days, risking fines if caught doing otherwise, the Beacon News reported. 

According to Rocky Cole, a local resident who enjoys sitting out by the water, the reservoir's decreased water levels exposed a concerning amount of land. 

"I was kind of worried about it because I was praying for rain," Cole said, per KWCH. 

A combination of community conservation efforts and significant rainfall events between 2024 and 2025 helped raise the reservoir's water levels back to normal. 

Local residents who frequent Cheney Lake for recreation were thrilled to see this comeback. 

"It's going to be a lot more enjoyable, because we'll actually be able to go out in the water instead of having to walk a half a mile out to find the water itself," said Cole, per KWCH. 

"It's gonna be a good fish spawn this year for everything," said resident Joe Stringer, per KWCH. 

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