State water officials told lawmakers that incomplete records and estimated usage make it difficult to know precisely how much water is being pumped.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Drought conditions are renewing concerns about Oklahoma’s groundwater supply as state officials work to improve incomplete records and determine how much water is actually being used.
All of Oklahoma was in at least moderate drought in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, with the most severe conditions concentrated largely in western Oklahoma.
Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, convened a House Agriculture Committee interim study Tuesday to examine Oklahoma’s water resources, management practices and long-term sustainability.
Newton represents a part of northwestern Oklahoma that depends heavily on groundwater. He said some lawmakers in the region have heard from constituents whose aquifers have dropped and wells have gone dry.
“Without that underground water, we would cease to exist out there,” Newton said.
Incomplete information
Oklahoma Water Resources Board officials told lawmakers that the state does not have a complete picture of groundwater use.
Permit holders are required to report their usage annually, but some reports are not filed and much of the reported consumption is estimated rather than measured. The board also is working through outdated ownership information and discrepancies between the locations of wells and the land covered by permits.
Christopher Neel, chief of the board’s Water Rights Administration Division, showed lawmakers an example of a report containing what appeared to be a major reporting error.
“Is this accurate? Is there overuse going on? We don’t know,” Neel said. “There’s insufficient data.”
The board is developing an online reporting system that officials hope will catch obvious errors and make it easier to review water-use information.
The agency also has begun comparing permit records with satellite information and records maintained by other state agencies. Officials said those comparisons have identified locations that require additional review.
Domestic wells used by individual households generally are not part of the state permitting system discussed during the study.
New enforcement law
The review comes months after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 259, which strengthens the Water Resources Board’s authority to address unreported use, pumping beyond permit limits and other forms of groundwater waste.
The law, which takes effect Nov. 1, directs the board to audit and review water-use reports, modernize its data-collection system, investigate complaints and impose penalties when violations are found.
The final version did not require meters on all permitted wells.
Water Resources Board Executive Director Julie Cunningham told lawmakers that the Legislature could consider requiring meters for newly permitted wells or for new permits in aquifers experiencing significant depletion. Existing permit holders would not necessarily be included.
Cunningham also suggested that depletion levels could be used when considering new permits in stressed groundwater basins.
Those ideas were presented as possibilities for future legislation, not as formal proposals ready for consideration.
Moving water west
The committee also heard renewed discussion about moving water from eastern Oklahoma to drier portions of the state.
Grand River Dam Authority board Chairman Tom Kimball said water released through the Pensacola Dam eventually flows through other lakes and rivers before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. He urged policymakers to consider whether some of that water could be captured and transported west.
“Water transfer is a big project,” Kimball said, acknowledging that moving water from one region to another would face political and financial obstacles.
Cunningham said state water plans have examined east-to-west transfers for decades. She said cost remains a major obstacle to a statewide transfer system.
The state’s latest water plan instead emphasizes regional projects, conservation and other locally tailored approaches.
Newton called a large-scale transfer something worth considering for the future.
No legislation or immediate spending proposal emerged from the hearing. Cunningham’s suggestion that meters be required for new permits could become a legislative proposal next year.
Newton said the immediate purpose was to determine where Oklahoma stands and whether anything can be done to slow further groundwater losses.
