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Water Issues 2008

Water Issues 2008. From Drought to Flood and Back?. OSU Cooperative Extension. Annual Trends in Statewide Averaged Rainfall ( 1895 Through 2005). Average. Monthly Variation of Water Availability in Selected Major Rivers. Prior to 1972. 475 - Active Groundwater Permits

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Water Issues 2008

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  1. Water Issues2008 From Drought to Flood and Back? OSU Cooperative Extension

  2. Annual Trends in Statewide Averaged Rainfall(1895 Through 2005)

  3. Average Monthly Variation of Water Availability in Selected Major Rivers

  4. Prior to 1972 475 - Active Groundwater Permits 144,396 - AF/Y Permitted Groundwater Ground Water Permits

  5. Prior to 1972 475 - Active Groundwater Permits 144,396 - AF/Y Permitted Groundwater Current 2007 10,462 - Active Groundwater Permits 3,428,115 - AF/Y Permitted Groundwater Ground Water Permits

  6. Water Use Facts Water Facts • We have 320,000,000 A-F of groundwater, ½ recoverable • Lake Eufala contains 2,600,000 A-F • 34,000,000 A-F flow out of state each year, on average Source; Oklahoma Water Resources Board

  7. Oklahoma Population Projection

  8. Who owns the water? • Stream Water – Publicly owned • Ground Water – Private Property But they are connected hydrologically!

  9. Definitions • Stream Water - water in a “definite stream” (in a natural channel, with defined beds and banks, originating from a definite source or sources); • Groundwater - fresh water under the surface of the earth, outside the cut banks of any definite stream

  10. The Philosophy of Oklahoma Water Law • Stream water is consideredpublicly owned • “First in time, first in right”: • first person to apply for a water is senior to later appropriators • In times of shortage, junior rights may be denied. • “Beneficial use – a right may denied if it is deemed wasteful or polluting. • Utilization not Conservation - Sustainability is not the philosophy

  11. Sale of Water • SB 288 (2003): landowners in a "sensitive sole source aquifer" area (Arbuckle-Simpson) must restrict use to extent that it does not degrade/interfere with springs or streams. • (2004) moratorium on out-of-state sales of Oklahoma water until November 1, 2009, or until the State of Oklahoma completes a comprehensive scientific hydrological study • (2007) Tarrant Regional Water District filed a federal lawsuit alleging the moratorium is invalid and unconstitutional; • (2008 Legislature “encourages the Oklahoma Attorney General to vigorously defend the State of Oklahoma and the state law implementing a moratorium on out-of-state water sales in the federal lawsuit filed by the Tarrant Regional Water District.”

  12. What are the Pros and Conson Water Sales • Pro: unallocated water can be sold to highest value use. • Pro: unused water can be sold to fund services and capitol improvements. • Pro: we have unallocated water. • Con: those who purchase water need it at the same time as Oklahoma (drought is regional). • Con: if we commit too much for sale, we are selling our future. • Con: extracting too much water from an aquifer will deplete the neighbors ground water and surface water.

  13. Major Issues for the Water Plan • Ensuring availability and quality of surface and groundwater supplies for future generations of Oklahomans • Ensuring security, certainty, and stability in water rights • Conservation vs. Utilization – Sustainability? • Ground water and stream water interaction • Water supply and infrastructure needs • Environmental flows – protection of ecosystems • Balancing alternate uses of reservoirs

  14. Water Shortages Will Come Again!

  15. QUESTIONS?

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