Policy Development and Public Participation
The last of 42 Local Input Meetings, or “listening sessions,” was held in November 2007. The meetings, which began in April 2007, were well-attended and drew a wide variety of comments on Oklahoma’s priority water issues and problems as well as suggestions on how the Water Plan should address them.
Regional input meetings, the second phase of the Water Plan’s public participation process, will be held during the second half of 2008 in each of the 11 Councils of Oklahoma Governments (COG) regions. The purpose of these meetings is to ensure that the full range of Oklahoma’s water issues--and eventual policy recommendations--are identified for inclusion in the final statewide plan. Regional teams, consisting of 30 representatives nominated by the public, will review findings from the listening sessions, validate regional issues and concerns, consolidate issues into categories based upon their similarity, and suggest priorities for further consideration in the planning process. The regional meetings will be open to the public.
Technical & Engineering Studies
Technical assessments and engineering studies supporting the Water Plan are being accomplished with assistance from various local, state, and federal agencies and organizations, as well as consultants. As a part of a Planning Assistance to States cost share agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers, efforts are underway to outline the fundamental work plan for the OCWP, including the delineation of Goals and Objectives, establishment of a common technical platform to evaluate water supply and demand, and development of a programmatic workplan that includes an outline of work to be performed.
The engineering firm of Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. (CDM), has been contracted to help coordinate this effort as well as identify potential strategies to conduct a statewide assessment of the state’s community water systems and their ability to serve both the present and future needs of Oklahoma citizens.
Initial projects under the technical studies arm of the Water Plan include a Water Infrastructure Pilot Mapping Project and development of a Public Water Supply Water Use and Infrastructure Survey. Additional technical work that will soon commence includes a statewide Supply and Demand Analysis and initial Water Allocation Modeling in selected areas of the state.
In September 2007, the OWRB approved an agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation to fund a portion of water plan related projects, including modernization of the OWRB database management system.
Water Infrastructure Pilot Mapping Project
The Water Infrastructure Pilot Mapping Project will be conducted in Pontotoc County with the purpose of mapping and key infrastructure components for water systems in the county as a demonstration of the costs and benefits of similar mapping that could be developed statewide. Pontotoc County contains municipal and rural water systems, large and small systems, and includes systems connected to one another. The pilot study will help refine standards for mapping and data collection while providing an estimate of the cost for mapping all of Oklahoma. Infrastructure to be mapped includes water sources, main water lines, water system features, and approximate water system service area.
Public Water Supply Water Use and Infrastructure Survey
In addition to the mapping project, a statewide Public Water Supply Water Use and Infrastructure Survey will be developed, distributed and analyzed. The purpose is to provide baseline information for characterizing existing conditions and future supply and infrastructure needs on an individual water provider basis. For each public water supplier, the survey will identify the current service area population and demands, current sources of supply, existing and planned water supply and treatment infrastructure, and plans for future water supply sources. Results of the survey will be used to develop municipal and rural water provider water supply assessments and planning.
Statewide Supply and Demand Analysis
Statewide Supply and Demand Analysis will be performed to obtain accurate and reliable county-level demand forecasts and supply availability. Consumptive water demand projections for municipal & industrial (M&I), thermoelectric power, self-supplied industrial, and agricultural water use sectors will be calculated. M&I demands will be determined down to the provider level. Nonconsumptive water use will also be characterized and methods and protocol for implementation of instream flow targets analyzed. Additionally, screening-level assessment of projected physical supplies will be developed and compared to projected demands at locations across the state in order to identify areas of potential surplus and shortfall (gap). Watersheds in which demands are expected to exceed physical supplies will be identified, indicating areas of potential shortages and a need to more closely examine demands, supplies, and potential water supply solutions.
Finally, for those areas identified as having gaps in supply vs. projected demands, initial Water Allocation Modeling will be performed to gain a better and more flexible understanding of the water management issues in a particular basin. Such a model will allow for various inputs (availability, current water rights, reservoirs, compacts, rainfall/runoff, interbasin transfers, instream flows, etc.) to reflect the current situation within a basin as well as the ability to accurately assess additional future demands on the basin or the effect of various water management policy changes.
Water Plan Research Studies (Water Resources Research Institute)
In an effort to address key issues for the next 50 years of water planning and management in Oklahoma, the OWRB, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute and state universities, is funding research projects that will answer important questions for the OCWP. Three projects will be funded annually for 5 years for a total of 15 projects during the OCWP process. Six projects have been funded thus far.
The first of these projects includes development of a Decision Support Model for Optimal Water Pricing Protocol for Oklahoma Water Planning. Utilizing Lake Tenkiller as a case study, the project will develop a water pricing model that can be used in various locations in Oklahoma. The model will include methods to estimate both monetary and opportunity costs of a representative surface water system under conditions of competing water uses and variable water supplies that can be later modified to include related groundwater supplies. The model can be used as an education tool for extension and outreach among the various stakeholders of major water resources in Oklahoma.
A second project involves the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for communities in south-central Oklahoma. This project, which complements the ongoing Arbuckle-Simpson Hydrology Study, will characterize the aquifer’s fractures and major faults utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and resistivity data. This information will be useful in gaining a better understanding of the discharge and recharge of this and other aquifers as well as better modeling of groundwater flow.
A third project will evaluate subsurface transport of phosphorus to streams. The environmental risk associated with excess phosphorus is the eutrophication of freshwater bodies, many of which are used as drinking water supplies. Also, taste and odor problems caused by excessive phosphorus lead to increased costs for drinking water treatment. This project will investigate the transport mechanisms for phosphorus in the subsurface, recognizing that subsurface transport of phosphorus is a key pathway for deposition into surface waters and that common best management practices are insufficient in alleviating the problem.
A fourth project will be an evaluation of water use monitoring using remote sensing methods and satellite imagery. Irrigation is a major water use in Oklahoma. Water used for irrigation generally returns to the hydrologic cycle through evapotranspiration. As demand for water increases, water managers need to know how much water is actually consumed through agriculture.
A fifth project will be an assessment of environmental or in-stream flows in Oklahoma. The OCWP is being updated to make water demand projections for the next 50 years. While past Water Plan projections have made provisions for consumptive water uses, there is a need to include non-consumptive uses, including environmental flows that sustain aquatic animals and plants. This project will assess environmental flows in Oklahoma’s perennial streams. Information derived from the analysis will be used to make environmental flow recommendations for incorporation into the OCWP.
The final project funded thus far will be the development of a Decision Support Model for evaluating alternative water supply infrastructure scenarios. Rural water systems often struggle to make decisions regarding their future, particularly when those decisions involve upgrading their infrastructure or consolidating / cooperating with other systems. The overall objective of this project is to develop a step-by-step methodology that provides assistance to rural water systems for planning and updating their water supply infrastructure.
Planning Assistance to the States Studies (US Army Corps of Engineers)
Through the Planning Assistance to the States (PAS) Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cooperating with the OWRB in its effort at early implementation of several Water Plan-related projects and studies.
Bartlesville Water Supply and Conveyance Study
The Tulsa District Corps of Engineers is conducting a water supply Planning Assistance to States study for the City of Bartlesville under Letter Agreement with the OWRB. Drought conditions in the spring of 2002 caused water levels to drop significantly at Hulah Lake, Bartlesville’s primary source of water supply. Sedimentation rates at both Hulah and Copan Lakes, Bartlesville’s other source of supply, also cause concern over the adequacy of future water supplies from current sources. The purpose of the study is to determine the least costly alternative of providing additional water supply to the City of Bartlesville and its customers in the region. This evaluation, which is nearing completion, shall determine the alternative project and investment costs and average annual costs of providing water supply for a 50-year planning horizon. Alternatives investigated include sediment protection measures above Hulah and Copan Lakes, reallocating additional water from Hulah and Copan Lakes, constructing a pipeline to Kaw Lake, and construction of the potential Sand Reservoir site.
Bristow Water System and Supply Study
The OWRB and Corps of Engineers have also signed a PAS agreement for the Corps to conduct a cost-shared regional water study of alternative water supply strategies for Bristow and the surrounding area. The Town of Bristow, located in Creek County, Oklahoma, currently relies on groundwater as its sole source of water supply. Uncertainty over future groundwater quality and quantity in the area warrants proactive planning for dependable sources of water to meet not only Bristow’s future needs, but the demands of other water suppliers in Creek County, as well. The study, scheduled for completion later this summer, will evaluate existing systems, project future water needs for a 50-year planning horizon, and develop water supply alternatives and preliminary cost estimates.
Mangum Reservoir Project , Phase VI
Substantial local interest and state legislative support led to a Mangum Reservoir Phase I PAS study between the OWRB and the Corps of Engineers, which began in 1992. Initial study results, released the following year, provided seven alternative dam configurations and cost estimates for local decision-makers to consider. Due to uncertainties related to the area’s geology, additional on-site geotechnical investigations were performed over the years to provide more reliable data on the suitability of the ground foundation for the project.
The most recently completed studies indicate that the potential Lower Mangum Damsite, located on the Salt Fork of the Red River about two miles upstream of Mangum, showed favorable geologic conditions for construction of the project if the pool level was maintained at elevation 1,550 feet. This elevation would provide a lake surface area of about 1,863 acres, a storage volume of 26,080 acre-feet and a water supply yield of 11.07 mgd. Phase VI geotechnical studies will consist of drilling an additional borehole along the proposed dam alignment and developing cost estimates for project construction, including pertinent data, features and layout.
Groundwater/Stream Water Interaction Study (US Geological Survey)
The OWRB is partnering with the USGS to conduct a statistical analysis of groundwater-stream water interaction. Through collection and study of various annual, monthly and seasonal flow data from selected streams and gages in Oklahoma, USGS researchers will determine information about a stream and how its flow changes over time. In addition to identifying trends, the data will also provide information on the contribution of groundwater to stream flow and the general interaction between the two.
Results from the study should assist the OWRB in future hydrologic investigations of stream systems in the state. Data will also prove valuable in gap analysis modeling that CDM will be performing as well as in the water allocation modeling that the OWRB and AMEC (formerly Hydrosphere) will be conducting.
Climate Change Study (Oklahoma Climatological Survey)
Given recent information about changing climate patterns, prudent water planning should include an evaluation of the impacts of climate change on water resources and its management. The OWRB is cooperating with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey to study such questions.
While overall statistics of global climate change are powerful, decisions will be based on regional, local and seasonal signals. Thus, the seasonality of climate change will be extremely important. Humanity and economies are driven by the calendar as much as anything, and the timing of when things change will have as much impact, perhaps even more, than the magnitude of the change itself. This project will characterize the impacts of climate change on a seasonal and regional scale for Oklahoma. |
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