By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
With recent rains and more expected over the coming week, Barton County is lifting its burn ban. Area fire chiefs, along with Barton County Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller, requested the ban be reinstated on April 12. Claflin Fire Chief Doug Hubbard presented to Barton County Commissioners Wednesday morning.
"The Barton County fire chiefs all meet quarterly, and we had our quarterly meeting last night," he said. "The consensus was that we're ready to lift the burn ban. The only area in the county that hasn't had what I would call 'beneficial rains' would be the northwest, but he's okay with going ahead and lifting the ban. We can do case-by-case, or if it stays dry or gets dry again, we might be back."
Through May 18, much of Kansas, including all of Barton County, was still listed in the "exceptional drought" category by the U.S. Drought Monitor. According to precipitation data from Kansas State University, less than two and a half inches of rain fell across Barton County through April 30 this year. Weather Underground reports the Great Bend Municipal Airport has received 2.64 inches of rain so far in May.