OKC to continue drawing water from Canton Lake

OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite a call from several western Oklahoma lawmakers, Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust will continue to draw water from Canton Lake to replenish Lake Hefner. Lake Hefner is a primary water source for Oklahoma City and 17 other cities and rural water districts served by the trust, trust officials state in a news release Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2024.

The lawmakers — state Reps. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene; Carl Newton, R-Cherokee; Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko; and Sens. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, and Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher — had requested Tuesday that Oklahoma pause the release of water from Canton Lake, which started Oct.



22. "The weather outlook appears to favor central Oklahoma for significant rainfall that may result in raising the lake levels of Oklahoma City-area lakes Hefner and Overholser," the legislators said in a joint release. "This would improve the drinking water supply for the metro area, and it would protect this resource in Western Oklahoma.

" OCWUT worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the water release.

According to the news release issued Tuesday, OCWUT has coordinated with the Corps of Engineers to adjust the release rate during the upcoming anticipated rain events to minimize the risk of localized lowland flooding along the North Canadian River, which is transporting the water from Cantonm OCWUT stated in its news release. "While these rain events are forecasted to contribute some additional water, experts have determined that the rainfall will likely be insufficient to meet the water level needs at Lake Hefner," OCWUT stated in the news release. "Due to the arid conditions of the North Canadian River, stopping and later resuming the water transfer would likely result in greater water loss from soil absorption and evaporation.

Continuous release will help minimize these losses by keeping the riverbed moist and the water flow steady, reducing the likelihood of future water releases from Canton Lake." The water release began Oct. 22, will continue through Nov.

5 to provide the planned 16,000-acre feet of water to help meet the supply needs of Oklahoma City. “We appreciate the concerns of legislators and community members in Western Oklahoma and are committed to working collaboratively to preserve both the economic and recreational value of Canton Lake,” said Chris Browning, Oklahoma City Utilities director and OCWUT general manager. “However, given the current water levels at Lake Hefner, even with predicted rain, this release is necessary to help meet the Oklahoma City metro’s water demands as we head into winter.

” The release was planned after OCWUT officials met with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Canton Lake Advisory Committee and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on Oct. 16. Canton Lake construction began in 1940 and was completed in 1948.

The lake's authorized purposes include flood risk management, water supply, recreation and fish and wildlife benefits. The lake is the home of the annual Walleye Rodeo, and it is a major driver for the economy of Canton, the lawmakers stated in their news release. The lawmakers said area residents are concerned about the impact to local economies should Canton Lake drop to a level that affects recreation and other visitors.

They said they've been reassured by lake officials that everything within their authority will be done to protect the outdoor recreation opportunities for visitors to the lake. OCWUT holds 100% of the Canton Lake water storage allocation, pursuant to a contracted agreement with the Corps of Engineers. Several years ago, OCWUT developed and adopted a lake balance plan to avoid the impacts of large releases from its water supply reservoirs.

When the release began on Oct. 22, Lake Hefner was 7 feet below its full pool. Even with the 16,000-acre feet added from Canton Lake, Hefner will remain approximately 4 feet below full pool, according to OCWUT.

The requested release will lower Canton Lake to a level approximately the same as Hefner. Trust officials said they hope anticipated winter rainfall will help replenish Oklahoma City’s water supply in the coming months..