Wednesday, July 24, 2013
New Col. takes over the Tulsa District of the Corps of Engineers which controls Canton Lake.
TULSA – Col. Richard A. Pratt has taken command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District.
Pratt succeeds Col. Michael J. Teague, who was commander for three years. Teague retired from his 28-year Army career after the change of command.
Pratt comes to the Tulsa District from the Navy War College in Newport, R.I. A native of Cape Cod, Mass., Pratt earned his commission from Norwich University, The Military College of Vermont, in 1990.
Most recently, Pratt served as the engineer organizational integrator in the Force Management Directorate of the deputy chief of staff.
Pratt earned a master of science degree in education from Long Island University in 1998.
OKC Mayor Mick Cornett interview with Horizon TV talking water usage and other water related topics.
OKC Mayor Mick Cornett speaks about water usage with Horizon TV's Andy Barth. You can hear the urban entitlement in his words.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Volunteers needed to help install man-made fish habitat in Canton Lake. Saturday, June 29th at 7:00 am.
Volunteers needed!! Many have asked what you could do to help and here is your chance... Another man-made fish habitat project at Canton Lake will be June 29th at 7am. The CLA in conjunction with the Dept of Wildlife Fisheries Division will be installing more habitat like what is in the picture. We could use all the able bodied volunteers available. More details to follow as far as where to meet. Any interested parties should contact CLA President Jeff Converse via email at lawnmowershopww@gmail.com. Please consider helping make our lake a better fishing lake by marking your calender and donating a few hours of time and effort. With plenty of help it shouldn't last more than a couple of hours. Your help is needed and greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Canton Lake Association, Corp of Engineers employees and some Woodward OK Businesses work together to extend another boat ramp at Canton Lake.
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Sunday, June 16, 2013
Associated Press Article on Canton Lake Situation.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The ongoing drought prompted Oklahoma City officials in January to begin diverting billions of gallons of water from Canton Lake to Lake Hefner, replenishing the drinking water supply for about 1.2 million people in the metro area.
Five months later, heavy rainfall that accompanied severe storms and tornadoes that pummeled the state in May have filled Lake Hefner to the brim, forcing officials to drain water from the lake to prevent it from overflowing. Meanwhile, about 100 miles northwest, Canton Lake remains 13 feet below its normal level, and officials who oversee its condition are concerned it may never recover."I think the lake is dying," said Jeff Converse, president of the Canton Lake Association. "The low water level is one thing, but now we've got an algae bloom going on. It's pea-green soup."
Converse said he saw dead fish last weekend and believes conditions in the lake will only get worse as the summer heats up.
Residents and merchants say they believe Oklahoma City acted hastily to drain Canton Lake — one of six water reservoirs it controls — of 30,000 acre-feet, or almost 9.8 billion gallons, of water before spring rains brought up Lake Hefner's low levels. An acre foot of water is an acre of surface area with a depth of one foot.
"If they would have waited we would all be in better shape," said Alan Cox, a member of the board of Canton Lake Association who operates a restaurant near the lake. "I think it wasn't a very smart decision on their part. I don't know why a month or two wouldn't have helped."
A spokeswoman for the city's water utility, Debbie Ragan, said officials decided to tap into Canton Lake based on forecasts that indicated serious consequences without additional water sources.
"Wish we had a crystal ball at the time? Yes," Ragan said. "We did what we thought was best at the time for our customers. We can't predict the weather. We can't predict the future. We can take some steps to be better prepared."
Greg Estep, chief of hydrology and hydraulics for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Tulsa District, said the Corps has voiced concern about what impact draining water from Canton Lake might have.
"We still have some concerns out there," Estep said. "They had to do what seemed best for their citizens."
Water released from Canton Lake flowed along the North Canadian River and was diverted into Lake Hefner, which received more than 20,000 acre-feet of water. The balance was soaked up by the riverbed.
Because of the heavy rainfall last month, Ragan said more than 23,000 acre-feet of water was released from Lake Hefner early this month into Lake Overholser and ultimately back into the North Canadian River.
"Those two lakes couldn't hold the water. They're full," she said.
Estep said the prospects for Canton Lake being replenished by rainfall are not good. The region normally gets about 20 inches of rain a year, but recent rainfall adds up to only about 12 inches a year.
"We need some rain," he said. "We need it to come down hard enough that it exceeds the amount that is soaking in."
Cox and other area merchants said the low level of Canton Lake is keeping away anglers, campers and others who use it for recreation.
"It's been pretty tough on all of us," Cox said. "We're about out of our rainy season. Who knows what the weather is going to bring. But it's not looking good."
Donnie Jenkins, who operates Canton Motel, said only six of the motel's 20 rooms were occupied for last month's Canton Lake Walleye Rodeo — the state's oldest and traditionally largest fishing tournament. Ordinarily, Jenkins said, the motel would be full.
"We had one guy who stayed that was a fisherman this weekend," Jenkins said Monday. "We're down 90 percent on weekends."
Jenkins said low lake levels are decimating the lake's fish population.
"We've lost lots and lots and lots of walleye," he said. "It might kill all the fish. It's a sad, sad deal."
Carol Gilchrist, operator of This and That gift shop, says the lake is also vital to the area's economic health.
"This town depends on the lake to get us through the winter," she said. "We have lost so many of the campers due to the lake situation. We're going to have to tighten our belts."
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Supreme Court ruling on Texas taking Oklahoma water.
Reservoirs like this one in Robert Lee, Texas, are subject to severe drought, risking water supplies -- but the Supreme Court ruled that invading neighboring states isn't the answer.
This is a victory for Canton lake as well as the entire state as this will leave more water in Southern Oklahoma lakes for OKC. which can help lessen the burden on our lake.
WASHINGTON -- With water, water virtually everywhere, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that thirsty Texas counties can't run a pipeline into Oklahoma for more drops to drink.
The decision, which upholds two lower court rulings, is a victory for states' rights over multistate water compacts that are common throughout the West. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the opinion for a unanimous court.
On one side of the dispute was Texas, accused of trying to divert water from Oklahoma under terms of a four-state compact that entitled each state to up to 25% of the water from a segment of the Red River. On the other was Oklahoma, asserting that Texas can get the water from within its borders or elsewhere.
The battle was being watched closely by other states with interstate compacts similar to the one the two states share with Arkansas and Louisiana. There are more than two dozen compacts nationwide, mostly in the West, and at least nine with similar provisions.
The battle is critical for nearly 2 million residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area who get water from the Tarrant Regional Water District. The fast-growing area needs far more water than it has; it warns that if it goes dry, other areas reliant on such compacts could as well.
Under the 35-year-old compact, each of the four states is entitled to no more than 25% of the water. The dispute was over where they could go to get it. Because the main stem of the river is salty, tributaries such as the one in Oklahoma that enticed Texas are considered preferable.
The Lone Star State had lost in both lower federal courts, which ruled that Oklahoma can bar such water invasions. Texas contended that the four-state compact, approved by Congress, should trump state laws, and the U.S. Department of Justice agreed.
During oral argument in April, Lisa Blatt, the attorney representing Oklahoma, said Texas' claim was unprecedented. If granted, she said it would produce "open season for Oklahoma water" and lead to a situation in which "every state could have crisscrossing pipelines into every state."
Follow @richardjwolf on Twitter.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
NY Times talks real talk about depleting ground water aquifers in Kansas and other regions.... sure to spread. Farmers feel the effects from lack of water for irrigation.
posted last night on NY TImesWells Dry, Fertile Plains Turn to Dust
By MICHAEL WINES
HASKELL COUNTY, Kan. — Forty-nine years ago, Ashley Yost’s grandfather sank a well deep into a half-mile square of rich Kansas farmland. He struck an artery of water so prodigious that he could pump 1,600 gallons to the surface every minute.Last year, Mr. Yost was coaxing just 300 gallons from the earth, and pumping up sand in order to do it. By harvest time, the grit had robbed him of $20,000 worth of pumps and any hope of returning to the bumper harvests of years past.“That’s prime land,” he said not long ago, gesturing from his pickup at the stubby remains of last year’s crop. “I’ve raised 294 bushels of corn an acre there before, with water and the Lord’s help.” Now, he said, “it’s over.”The land, known as Section 35, sits atop the High Plains Aquifer, a waterlogged jumble of sand, clay and gravel that begins beneath Wyoming and South Dakota and stretches clear to the Texas Panhandle. The aquifer’s northern reaches still hold enough water in many places to last hundreds of years. But as one heads south, it is increasingly tapped out, drained by ever more intensive farming and, lately, by drought.Vast stretches of Texas farmland lying over the aquifer no longer support irrigation. In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry. In many other places, there no longer is enough water to supply farmers’ peak needs during Kansas’ scorching summers.And when the groundwater runs out, it is gone for good. Refilling the aquifer would require hundreds, if not thousands, of years of rains.This is in many ways a slow-motion crisis — decades in the making, imminent for some, years or decades away for others, hitting one farm but leaving an adjacent one untouched. But across the rolling plains and tarmac-flat farmland near the Kansas-Colorado border, the effects of depletion are evident everywhere. Highway bridges span arid stream beds. Most of the creeks and rivers that once veined the land have dried up as 60 years of pumping have pulled groundwater levels down by scores and even hundreds of feet.On some farms, big center-pivot irrigators — the spindly rigs that create the emerald circles of cropland familiar to anyone flying over the region — now are watering only a half-circle. On others, they sit idle altogether.Two years of extreme drought, during which farmers relied almost completely on groundwater, have brought the seriousness of the problem home. In 2011 and 2012, the Kansas Geological Survey reports, the average water level in the state’s portion of the aquifer dropped 4.25 feet — nearly a third of the total decline since 1996.And that is merely the average. “I know my staff went out and re-measured a couple of wells because they couldn’t believe it,” said Lane Letourneau, a manager at the State Agriculture Department’s water resources division. “There was a 30-foot decline.”Kansas agriculture will survive the slow draining of the aquifer — even now, less than a fifth of the state’s farmland is irrigated in any given year — but the economic impact nevertheless will be outsized. In the last federal agriculture census of Kansas, in 2007, an average acre of irrigated land produced nearly twice as many bushels of corn, two-thirds more soybeans and three-fifths more wheat than did dry land.Farmers will take a hit as well. Raising crops without irrigation is far cheaper, but yields are far lower. Drought is a constant threat: the last two dry-land harvests were all but wiped out by poor rains.In the end, most farmers will adapt to farming without water, said Bill Golden, an agriculture economist at Kansas State University. “The revenue losses are there,” he said. “But they’re not as tremendously significant as one might think.”Some already are. A few miles west of Mr. Yost’s farm, Nathan Kells cut back on irrigation when his wells began faltering in the last decade, and shifted his focus to raising dairy heifers — 9,000 on that farm, and thousands more elsewhere. At about 12 gallons a day for a single cow, Mr. Kells can sustain his herd with less water than it takes to grow a single circle of corn.“The water’s going to flow to where it’s most valuable, whether it be industry or cities or feed yards,” he said. “We said, ‘What’s the higher use of the water?’ and decided that it was the heifer operation.”The problem, others say, is that when irrigation ends, so do the jobs and added income that sustain rural communities.“Looking at areas of Texas where the groundwater has really dropped, those towns are just a shell of what they once were,” said Jim Butler, a hydrogeologist and senior scientist at the Kansas Geological Survey.The villain in this story is in fact the farmers’ savior: the center-pivot irrigator, a quarter- or half-mile of pipe that traces a watery circle around a point in the middle of a field. The center pivots helped start a revolution that raised farming from hardscrabble work to a profitable business.Since the pivots’ debut some six decades ago, the amount of irrigated cropland in Kansas has grown to nearly three million acres, from a mere 250,000 in 1950. But the pivot irrigators’ thirst for water — hundreds and sometimes thousands of gallons a minute — has sent much of the aquifer on a relentless decline. And while the big pivots have become much more efficient, a University of California study earlier this year concluded that Kansas farmers were using some of their water savings to expand irrigation or grow thirstier crops, not to reduce consumption.A shift to growing corn, a much thirstier crop than most, has only worsened matters. Driven by demand, speculation and a government mandate to produce biofuels, the price of corn has tripled since 2002, and Kansas farmers have responded by increasing the acreage of irrigated cornfields by nearly a fifth.At an average 14 inches per acre in a growing season, a corn crop soaks up groundwater like a sponge — in 2010, the State Agriculture Department said, enough to fill a space a mile square and nearly 2,100 feet high.Sorghum, or milo, gets by on a third less water, Kansas State University researchers say — and it, too, is in demand by biofuel makers. As Kansas’ wells peter out, more farmers are switching to growing milo on dry land or with a comparative sprinkle of irrigation water.But as long as there is enough water, most farmers will favor corn. “The issue that often drives this is economics,” said David W. Hyndman, who heads Michigan State University’s geological sciences department. “And as long as you’ve got corn that’s $7, then a lot of choices get made on that.”Of the 800 acres that Ashley Yost farmed last year in Haskell County, about 70 percent was planted in corn, including roughly 125 acres in Section 35. Haskell County’s feedlots — the county is home to 415,000 head of cattle — and ethanol plants in nearby Liberal and Garden City have driven up the price of corn handsomely, he said.But this year he will grow milo in that section, and hope that by ratcheting down the speed of his pump, he will draw less sand, even if that means less water, too. The economics of irrigation, he said, almost dictate it.“You’ve got $20,000 of underground pipe,” he said. “You’ve got a $10,000 gas line. You’ve got a $10,000 irrigation motor. You’ve got an $89,000 pivot. And you’re going to let it sit there and rot?“If you can pump 150 gallons, that’s 150 gallons Mother Nature is not giving us. And if you can keep a milo crop alive, you’re going to do it.”Mr. Yost’s neighbors have met the prospect of dwindling water in starkly different ways. A brother is farming on pivot half-circles. A brother-in-law moved most of his operations to Iowa. Another farmer is suing his neighbors, accusing them of poaching water from his slice of the aquifer.A fourth grows corn with an underground irrigation system that does not match the yields of water-wasting center-pivot rigs, but is far thriftier in terms of water use and operating costs.For his part, Mr. Yost continues to pump. But he also allowed that the day may come when sustaining what is left of the aquifer is preferable to pumping as much as possible.Sitting in his Ford pickup next to Section 35, he unfolded a sheet of white paper that tracked the decline of his grandfather’s well: from 1,600 gallons a minute in 1964, to 1,200 in 1975, to 750 in 1976.When the well slumped to 500 gallons in 1991, the Yosts capped it and drilled another nearby. Its output sank, too, from 1,352 gallons to 300 today.This year, Mr. Yost spent more than $15,000 to drill four test wells in Section 35. The best of them produced 195 gallons a minute — a warning, he said, that looking further for an isolated pocket of water would be costly and probably futile.“We’re on the last kick,” he said. “The bulk water is gone.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Walleye Rodeo 2013 Results
May 16, 17, 18, 19, 2013
Registration: 272
Oklahoma
Residents: 249
Out
of State: 24
Sunday
Kids’ Derby 187
TOTAL
OF FISH REGISTERED:
Walleye 204 @ 535.00 lbs
Large
Mouth Bass 8 @ 23.79 lbs
Small
Mouth Bass 0
Hybrid
Bass 14 @ 33.79 lbs
Crappie 44 @ 49.99 lbs
Channel
Cat 25 @ 89.06 lbs
White
Bass 55 @ 60.14 lbs
Flathead
Cat 2 @ 11.31 lbs
Sun
Fish 17 @
7.53 lbs
Carp 17 @ 102.44
lbs
Drum 13 @ 15.97
lbs
Buffalo
2 @ 33.41 lbs
Striped
Bass 0
TAGGED
FISH CAUGHT: $1,510.00
$500
tagged Walleye – Lindsey Cravens & Troy Little Raven
KIDS’ DERBY
12 & UNDER
Kid’s Derby Winners receive
a Trophy & Rod &, Reel
10th
Place – Taylor Dowell 2lb 5oz Walleye
9th Place - Cody
Conrady 2lb 5oz Flathead
Catfish
8th Place - Cayle
Mitch 2lb 6oz Largemouth
Bass
7th Place - Ledger
Lewallen 2lb 15oz Channel Catfish
6th Place - Charlie
Evans 3lb 1oz Flathead
Catfish
5th Place - Bryan
Nyberg 3lb 1.4oz Carp
4th Place - Belle
Swartwood 3lb 7oz Drum
3rd Place - Tyler
Hicks 3lb 9oz Channel
Catfish
2nd Place - Jace
Nelson 4lb 7oz Channel
Catfish
1st Place - Jarrett
Sinclair 7lb 7oz Carp
Striped Bass – # none
lb
Largest Drum – #53 Corinne
Pitcher, Amarillo, TX
3.68 lb
Largest Buffalo – #153 Brevin Nyberg,
Seiling, OK
17.90 lb
Largest Carp – #23 Jerry Reed,
Canton, OK
11.76 lb
Largest Sunfish – #126 A.J. Lindsey,
Weatherford, OK
.58 lb
Largest Flathead – # 121 James
Hromas, Waukomis, OK
7.62 lb
Largest White Bass – #223 Jake Sinclair,
Watonga, OK
1.65 lb
Largest Channel Cat – #33 Greg Ryan, Canton,
OK
9.79 lb
Largest Crappie – # 97 Clyde
Hood, Sr., Canton, OK
2.04 lb
Largest Large Mouth Bass – #151 Donnie Bromlow, Canton, OK
6.24 lb
Largest Small Mouth Bass - # none
lb
Largest Hybrid – #72 Justin
Brodie, Canton, OK
5.59 lb
Largest Total Poundage of
Walleye – #133 Larry Hromas, Waukomis, OK
69.31 lbs. $500.00
Sponsored by
Pioneer Energy
Services
5th Largest
Walleye - #262 Easton Louthan, Weatherford, OK
4.71 lb $200.00
Sponsored by
Premium Beers
of Oklahoma
4th Largest
Walleye - #54 Rob Pitcher, Amarillo, TX
4.73 lb $350.00
Sponsored by
Pope
Distributing
3rd Largest
Walleye - #8 Dean Nickel, Enid, OK
4.79 lb $500.00 Sponsored by
Dobrinski Chevrolet
2nd Largest
Walleye - #264 Annabelle Hromas, Waukomis, OK
5.12 lb $750.00
Sponsored by Lucky Star Casino Concho, Clinton, Canton & Watonga
1st Largest
Walleye - #24 Rick Jackson, Ringwood, OK
5.73 lb
$1,000.00 Sponsored by Lucky Star
Casino, Canton
and
Rod
& Reel & Free Fish Mount
Sponsored
by Canton Lake
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Senate Bill 965 give a voice to rural Oklahoma about water concerns?
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
Senate Bill 965 would dilute the influence of a majority of Oklahomans while granting outsized power over water issues to a minority. This could have serious, long-term consequences for the state economy, especially in Oklahoma's two major metro areas.
Under current law, five seats on the OWRB are appointed based on congressional districts (which have roughly equal populations), while the remainder are at-large appointees. SB 965, as filed, would change that system so that OWRB appointments are instead based on planning regions established in the 1995 Comprehensive Water Plan.
The impact of this mapping change would be substantial. The central region, including most of the Oklahoma City metro area, would have one board member representing more than 1.2 million citizens. The northeast district, including more than 1.2 million citizens mostly in the Tulsa metro, also would be represented by one board member. In comparison, the Panhandle district, with a population of 29,474, would get a separate board appointee, as would the northwest district, which has a population of 65,077.
In other words, SB 965 would give fewer than 2.5 percent of Oklahoma citizens the same clout on the OWRB as nearly 66 percent of the state population. The concept of “one man, one vote” would clearly go out the window when it comes to implementing state water policies.
SB 965 is authored by Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, and Rep. Mike Jackson, R-Enid. It's hard to believe this proposal isn't driven by Marlatt's objections to Oklahoma City's recent withdrawal of water from Canton Lake. Marlatt blamed the withdrawal on Oklahoma City's “failure to adopt a proactive water conservation plan.”
In reality, Oklahoma City leaders did a good job of water planning decades ago. That's why the city owned the water rights to Canton Lake. Marlatt apparently felt those legal obligations should be scuttled in favor of peripheral tourism benefits the lake created locally. Can it really be coincidence he now seeks to give his Senate district the same number of OWRB seats as Tulsa and Oklahoma City combined?
The OWRB oversees water use appropriation and permitting, water quality monitoring, supply planning and resource mapping. The group's decisions can have major statewide impact affecting all of Oklahoma's economy. All parts of Oklahoma — urban and rural — should have a voice in these discussions.
But instead of encouraging evenhanded, proportional balance, SB 965 would ensure that representation of some rural residents dramatically outweighs those of metro residents who comprise a far larger share of the state population and associated economic activity.
SB 965 is a throwback to the worst examples of rural-urban division in Oklahoma history, such as apportioning state House seats by county instead of population. By the 1950s, a University of Oklahoma study found that a single citizen in Cimarron County was equivalent in representation to 10.1 people in Oklahoma County. By the 1960s, 29 percent of Oklahoma citizens elected a majority of House members.
That system eventually was declared unconstitutional. SB 965 should never get the chance for a similar legal challenge. The bill is in conference committee, and there it should remain.
WATER policy and the apportionment of seats on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board typically fly below the radar. Residents of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, in particular, have reason to pay attention.
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Under current law, five seats on the OWRB are appointed based on congressional districts (which have roughly equal populations), while the remainder are at-large appointees. SB 965, as filed, would change that system so that OWRB appointments are instead based on planning regions established in the 1995 Comprehensive Water Plan.
The impact of this mapping change would be substantial. The central region, including most of the Oklahoma City metro area, would have one board member representing more than 1.2 million citizens. The northeast district, including more than 1.2 million citizens mostly in the Tulsa metro, also would be represented by one board member. In comparison, the Panhandle district, with a population of 29,474, would get a separate board appointee, as would the northwest district, which has a population of 65,077.
In other words, SB 965 would give fewer than 2.5 percent of Oklahoma citizens the same clout on the OWRB as nearly 66 percent of the state population. The concept of “one man, one vote” would clearly go out the window when it comes to implementing state water policies.
SB 965 is authored by Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, and Rep. Mike Jackson, R-Enid. It's hard to believe this proposal isn't driven by Marlatt's objections to Oklahoma City's recent withdrawal of water from Canton Lake. Marlatt blamed the withdrawal on Oklahoma City's “failure to adopt a proactive water conservation plan.”
In reality, Oklahoma City leaders did a good job of water planning decades ago. That's why the city owned the water rights to Canton Lake. Marlatt apparently felt those legal obligations should be scuttled in favor of peripheral tourism benefits the lake created locally. Can it really be coincidence he now seeks to give his Senate district the same number of OWRB seats as Tulsa and Oklahoma City combined?
The OWRB oversees water use appropriation and permitting, water quality monitoring, supply planning and resource mapping. The group's decisions can have major statewide impact affecting all of Oklahoma's economy. All parts of Oklahoma — urban and rural — should have a voice in these discussions.
But instead of encouraging evenhanded, proportional balance, SB 965 would ensure that representation of some rural residents dramatically outweighs those of metro residents who comprise a far larger share of the state population and associated economic activity.
SB 965 is a throwback to the worst examples of rural-urban division in Oklahoma history, such as apportioning state House seats by county instead of population. By the 1950s, a University of Oklahoma study found that a single citizen in Cimarron County was equivalent in representation to 10.1 people in Oklahoma County. By the 1960s, 29 percent of Oklahoma citizens elected a majority of House members.
That system eventually was declared unconstitutional. SB 965 should never get the chance for a similar legal challenge. The bill is in conference committee, and there it should remain.
Real water rationing in the future for OKC?? We are trying to see to it!
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
Already, the city has implemented mandatory odd-even lawn watering, but even that could get more restrictive depending on the amount of rainfall received by OKC and its other water resources in southeastern and northwestern Oklahoma.
Recent rains have replenished a portion of the city’s water supply with lake capacity now at 56 percent, City Manager Jim Couch said.
But there’s still a need for a water conservation plan in case of a worst-case scenario this summer. As a result, the Oklahoma City Council last week approved a progressive, five-stage measure based on lake levels.
If lake capacities are 50 percent or less, the plan’s second stage will take effect. Using an irrigation system or a sprinkler device, homeowners with an address ending in an odd number could water lawns and landscaping on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Homeowners with addresses ending in an even number could water on Thursdays and Sundays. All other customer classifications could water lawns on Tuesdays and Fridays.
If lake levels drop to 45 percent or less, watering days are limited to once a week. Single-family homes with addresses ending in 1 or 3 would water on Saturdays while homes with addresses ending in 5, 7 or 9 would water Wednesdays.
Furthermore, addresses ending in 0 or 2 would water on Sundays, and homes with addresses ending in 4, 6 and 8 would water on Thursdays. Remaining property owners would be allowed to water on Fridays.
The plan, however, allows homeowners to use a hose and water by hand every day for the plan’s top three stages.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 50 percent of the water used to irrigate landscapes is wasted by spraying water at the wrong time of day, watering too much and spraying hardscapes.
“In Oklahoma City, that could be as much as 15 million gallons a day,” said Marsha Slaughter, utilities department director.
In the event lake levels drop to 40 percent or less, the plan bans all lawn watering and allows only hand-watering for gardens and flower beds.
Commercial car washes would be permitted to operate if they have water recycling system.
Stage five — the worst-case scenario with lake levels at 35 percent or less — would ban all outdoor watering and car washing.
“We’re hopeful we can get some nice rain in May and June. If that holds true, that will be beneficial to everyone,” said Debbie Ragan, spokeswoman for the OKC Utilities Department.
The current drought is the worst Oklahomans have witnessed since the 1950s, city officials said.
Worst-case scenario
OKC officials roll out a possible water conservation plan in case of a brutally dry summer.
Tim FarleyMay 8th, 2013
If drought conditions worsen in Oklahoma City, homeowners won’t be mowing thick, lush lawns this summer.
Credit: Mark Hancock
Recent rains have replenished a portion of the city’s water supply with lake capacity now at 56 percent, City Manager Jim Couch said.
But there’s still a need for a water conservation plan in case of a worst-case scenario this summer. As a result, the Oklahoma City Council last week approved a progressive, five-stage measure based on lake levels.
If lake capacities are 50 percent or less, the plan’s second stage will take effect. Using an irrigation system or a sprinkler device, homeowners with an address ending in an odd number could water lawns and landscaping on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Homeowners with addresses ending in an even number could water on Thursdays and Sundays. All other customer classifications could water lawns on Tuesdays and Fridays.
If lake levels drop to 45 percent or less, watering days are limited to once a week. Single-family homes with addresses ending in 1 or 3 would water on Saturdays while homes with addresses ending in 5, 7 or 9 would water Wednesdays.
Furthermore, addresses ending in 0 or 2 would water on Sundays, and homes with addresses ending in 4, 6 and 8 would water on Thursdays. Remaining property owners would be allowed to water on Fridays.
The plan, however, allows homeowners to use a hose and water by hand every day for the plan’s top three stages.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 50 percent of the water used to irrigate landscapes is wasted by spraying water at the wrong time of day, watering too much and spraying hardscapes.
“In Oklahoma City, that could be as much as 15 million gallons a day,” said Marsha Slaughter, utilities department director.
In the event lake levels drop to 40 percent or less, the plan bans all lawn watering and allows only hand-watering for gardens and flower beds.
Commercial car washes would be permitted to operate if they have water recycling system.
Stage five — the worst-case scenario with lake levels at 35 percent or less — would ban all outdoor watering and car washing.
“We’re hopeful we can get some nice rain in May and June. If that holds true, that will be beneficial to everyone,” said Debbie Ragan, spokeswoman for the OKC Utilities Department.
The current drought is the worst Oklahomans have witnessed since the 1950s, city officials said.
Ocamb is state director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club-- A message about water
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
However, one resource is running out. And once it does, the very future of our city is at risk.Water is Oklahoma’s greatest resource. Without it, Oklahoma’s very way of life is threatened.
Few Oklahomans alive today can remember what life was like for the Okies during the Dirty ’30s. Our only frames of reference are books and historical accounts discussing dust storms so bad you couldn’t see a mile in front of you, let alone breathe, and farmers losing everything to the banks. We study The Grapes of Wrath in school, yet we see it as a different time with a historical distance that makes it almost seem like fiction.
However, global climate disruption is providing a firsthand lesson in what life could be like going forward if we don’t immediately take steps to fight back.
Over the past two years, farmers have lost more than $2 billion to our drought. Wildfires have ravaged our state. Interstate highways have been forced to close due to dust storms.
Our streams, rivers and lakes have dried up. Fish are dying, and blue-green algae is threatening Oklahomans’ ability to recreate. Lake Hefner and Lake Thunderbird, the two largest sources of water for Oklahoma City and Norman, are experiencing historic lows.
Instead of acting sensibly, Oklahoma City has chosen to use interbasin transfers to move water from rural parts of our state into the metroplex, devastating the aquatic life of these lakes as well as the tourist trade that helps their local economies survive.
This is like a person whose bills massively exceed their income draining their savings account to get by. Once the water is transferred from Canton Lake or Lake Sardis, it’s gone.
And what then? When will we institute the sensible measures that have been so successful for Texas cities like San Antonio and El Paso? San Antonio has managed to add more than 300,000 people to its city while utilizing the same amount of water.
Replacing older toilets with newer models alone saves 12,000 gallons of water per household annually. Toilets account for approximately 25 percent of the water usage for a typical home. This is an extremely easy thing for cities to incentivize.
Oklahoma City needs to institute meaningful water conservation programs in order to meet our demands as a growing, thriving city.
We cannot afford to do nothing and relive the Dirty ’30s.
Ocamb is state director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club.
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
It’s often said you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. In terms of resources, nothing could be closer to the truth. Oklahoma is blessed with many resources — resources that have helped us build Oklahoma City from the desolate ghost town I remember as a child, during the oil bust, into one of our country’s best-kept secrets for quality of life.
However, one resource is running out. And once it does, the very future of our city is at risk.Water is Oklahoma’s greatest resource. Without it, Oklahoma’s very way of life is threatened.Few Oklahomans alive today can remember what life was like for the Okies during the Dirty ’30s. Our only frames of reference are books and historical accounts discussing dust storms so bad you couldn’t see a mile in front of you, let alone breathe, and farmers losing everything to the banks. We study The Grapes of Wrath in school, yet we see it as a different time with a historical distance that makes it almost seem like fiction.
However, global climate disruption is providing a firsthand lesson in what life could be like going forward if we don’t immediately take steps to fight back.
Over the past two years, farmers have lost more than $2 billion to our drought. Wildfires have ravaged our state. Interstate highways have been forced to close due to dust storms.
Our streams, rivers and lakes have dried up. Fish are dying, and blue-green algae is threatening Oklahomans’ ability to recreate. Lake Hefner and Lake Thunderbird, the two largest sources of water for Oklahoma City and Norman, are experiencing historic lows.
Instead of acting sensibly, Oklahoma City has chosen to use interbasin transfers to move water from rural parts of our state into the metroplex, devastating the aquatic life of these lakes as well as the tourist trade that helps their local economies survive.
This is like a person whose bills massively exceed their income draining their savings account to get by. Once the water is transferred from Canton Lake or Lake Sardis, it’s gone.
And what then? When will we institute the sensible measures that have been so successful for Texas cities like San Antonio and El Paso? San Antonio has managed to add more than 300,000 people to its city while utilizing the same amount of water.
Replacing older toilets with newer models alone saves 12,000 gallons of water per household annually. Toilets account for approximately 25 percent of the water usage for a typical home. This is an extremely easy thing for cities to incentivize.
Oklahoma City needs to institute meaningful water conservation programs in order to meet our demands as a growing, thriving city.
We cannot afford to do nothing and relive the Dirty ’30s.
Ocamb is state director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club.
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Our pressure is making a difference. We must keep it up!
Water worries spilling over: Rural lawmakers question cultural center, OKC withdrawals
By M. Scott Carter
Oklahoma City / Capitol bureau reporter. Contact: 405-278-2838, scott.carter@journalrecord.com
Posted: 06:20 PM Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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Oklahoma City / Capitol bureau reporter. Contact: 405-278-2838, scott.carter@journalrecord.com
Posted: 06:20 PM Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum under construction. As of June 2012, the center was at an estimated 50-percent completion. (Photo by Brent Fuchs)
OKLAHOMA CITY – The fate of Oklahoma City’s unfinished $80 million American Indian Cultural Center and Museum may depend not on private funds so much as rural water.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The fate of Oklahoma City’s unfinished $80 million American Indian Cultural Center and Museum may depend not on private funds so much as rural water.
While officials from the cultural center continue to push hard for state funding for the struggling project, a behind-the-scenes effort at the Legislature to secure a $20 million appropriation for the center this year is facing mounting opposition from some rural lawmakers who are frustrated with what they call Oklahoma City’s heavy-handed approach to water policy.
The center has sat unfinished after legislation that would have authorized $40 million in state bond funds failed by a single vote in May 2012. Since then new members have been named to the center’s governing board and new fundraisers are being sought.
However, even with those efforts, lawmakers in rural Oklahoma said the attitude toward Oklahoma City has turned negative because of Oklahoma City’s approach to water policy – specifically in southeastern and western Oklahoma.
With the margin of support for the cultural center razor-thin, the loss of even a few votes could stop the proposal cold.
“I’ve heard several rural legislators say: ‘Why should we help Oklahoma City with their economic development efforts when they aren’t willing to help us with ours?’”, said state Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City. “That’s the problem we’re trying hard to address.”
Loveless, who authored a Senate joint resolution to fund the cultural center, said he understands the concerns of both sides. He said he’s working with rural lawmakers and Oklahoma City officials in an effort to bring both sides together.
“We’re working to get everyone together and discuss the issues,” he said. “I think it’s better whenever everyone sits down and talks.”
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said he has a meeting planned with several rural legislators on Wednesday. Cornett said he wanted to hear the lawmakers’ concerns.
“I’m just going to listen,” he said. “If they have questions about our water policy, we’re willing to talk to them.”
Lawmakers from the state’s rural areas said residents of their districts have been frightened by Oklahoma City’s battles over water in southeastern and western Oklahoma.
“Yes, you could say there are big concerns,” said state Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward. “Many residents in my district are worried by how water was taken out of Canton Lake.”
In January, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust said it needed extra water because of drought conditions and tapped thousands of gallons from Canton Lake in western Oklahoma. Oklahoma City has owned the water storage rights to the lake since the 1950s.
At the time city officials announced their plans, Marlatt and other lawmakers issued a media statement asking city officials to delay drawing the effort until later in the spring because they feared the draw on Canton Lake would devastate the lake and the businesses surrounding it.
“What we feared would happened, happened,” Marlatt said. “We understand they owned the rights to the water, but we were just asking them to delay the release until after we saw what type of spring rains we would get.”
Oklahoma City, he said, went ahead and tapped the lake. A short time later, the metro area saw heavy rains that raised the water level at Lake Hefner, but missed Canton Lake.
“They got rains here that raised Hefner’s lake level,” Marlatt said. “But we didn’t get rains in western Oklahoma, and Canton is way down.”
Cornett defended the city’s tapping of the lake. He said the city has owned the water storage rights to the lake for decades and has a very sophisticated water system.
“We rely on them heavily for service to our customers,” he said.
Cornett said the city had also announced it was willing to contribute $9 million to help fund the cultural center.
“We’re willing to contribute $9 million to help fund a state agency,” he said. “I’d think they’d (state lawmakers) would be grateful.”
Marlatt said he didn’t want to disrupt talks between rural lawmakers and Oklahoma City officials, but the discussions between both sides would probably continue.
“I expect there will be heated, passionate discussions for a long time to come,” he said.
Other legislators from the area echoed agreed. State Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Dacoma, said the issue of water policy and out-of-basin water transfers is now a major topic of discussion across rural Oklahoma. At Canton, he said, the lake level is so low there is no more water for Oklahoma City to take.
“Unless Canton gets more rain, there is nothing else to send,” Hickman said. “They’ve taken it all. The water’s gone. There’s nothing else.”
Hickman said rural lawmakers have made economic development projects across the state a priority. In his district, he said, Canton Lake is a key part of the area’s economic development.
“People come to the lake, then go buy supplies and gas and go out to eat,” he said. “All that is economic development; tourism money coming to the area. But that can’t work when they take almost all the water out of the lake. It’s frustrating when I drive by Lake Hefner and see sailboats there and when I go back home and then see the dry lake bed at Canton,” he said.
For Hickman, the rural-urban fight over water is a bigger issue than out-of-state water sales.
“I am a lot more concerned about Oklahoma City’s use of our water than I am Texas,” he said. “Texas is at least willing to pay us.”
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Public Meeting Results
We heard from Legislators and Government Agencies, as well as Grass Roots Organizers and while each of them shared vary valuable information on a vast array of topics, one message was consistent and perfectly clear from all, "KEEP FIGHTING, you are making a difference".
People across the state are taking notice and an interest in this situation. As the word spreads and the people hear about what is happening here, the Canton Lake situation is becoming more and more talked about and harder for OKC to sweep under the rug. Applying political, as well as public opinion pressure may be all we have for now, but it seems to be helping to shape the future of Canton Lake water in a positive fashion.
As CLA Board members we all knew this wasn't going to be an easy over night fight when we took it up, but we are committed to stay the course. Even if nothing else seems to come from our efforts in the short term, we will keep making those in power in OKC uncomfortable with their decisions to abuse this precious resource.
As President of the CLA stated at the close of the meeting, "We will keep fighting this fight!" We greatly appreciate all the new members that signed up and we look forward to more of you doing so in the future. Thank you for your support in this battle for our lake. If you have not done so, we invite you to visit our website and join today.
www.cantonlakeinfo.com
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