Hot, dry periods like the one affecting Kansas this month put an added emphasis on a precious resource that we often take for granted: water.

Rural residents south of Lawrence are being asked to limit their water consumption to help Rural Water District No. 4 keep up with the demand. In northeast Kansas, the Kickapoo Indian Reservation is on the verge of running out of water. The Upper Delaware River, the reservation’s only source of water, has quit flowing and the tribe’s water treatment plant soon will run out of water to treat.

If it does, the tribe will have to pay an estimated $700,000 a month to truck water in. Congress reportedly has approved funds for a Plum Creek Reservoir to help meet the tribe’s water needs, but the project has not moved forward.

In western Kansas, water is a perennial concern, and water conservation is a way of life. In Hays, for instance, no outdoor watering is allowed during afternoon and evening hours when loss of water to evaporation is at its peak. Children are taught in school to turn the water off when they are brushing their teeth and to practice other simple water conservation techniques. Residents say they almost feel embarrassed to admit they have used precious water resources to wash their cars.

These all serve as examples of how fortunate we are here in Lawrence. With water treatment plants on Clinton Lake and the Kansas River, city officials said Monday they don’t expect to have any problem serving the local water demand, even as high temperatures linger above 100 degrees. Sprinklers are running all over town to try to keep grass green and no one has to give much thought to running out of water.

It’s simply a luxury that many people don’t enjoy. It’s also a reminder of how important it is to preserve this precious resource. Large parts of western Kansas draw their water from underground aquifers. The supply of water is limited but the quality generally is pristine. In the eastern part of the state, lakes and rivers provide a more plentiful source of water, but the quality of that water is more tenuous.

Runoff from agricultural land as well as waste water from sewage treatment plants along the rivers could threaten to overwhelm some of our fresh water sources. Those rivers are holding their own so far, but the quality of their water is something that must be closely guarded.

Plentiful, clean water is an incredible luxury that is, by no means, guaranteed. We all should be careful not to take it for granted.