Lake Hefner at record low water levels, when will city buy Canton water?

[Midtowner]

I dug up a 1980s Oklahoman article saying the Elm Creek Reservoir next to Lake Stanley Draper was going to be built in the 1990s. Anyone know why that didn't happen or when the reservoir may be built in the future?

Here's a thread from 2009:

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=12686

[Snowman]

I dug up a 1980s Oklahoman article saying the Elm Creek Reservoir next to Lake Stanley Draper was going to be built in the 1990s. Anyone know why that didn't happen or when the reservoir may be built in the future?

My first guess for why an 80s project in OKC got shelved would be Oil Bust, plausibly not helped by the Savings and Loan crisis around the same time.

It seems like this lake had come up in some of the city meetings in the last several years about the new pipeline. That the second pipeline is being built implies we are near the limits of capacity of the original pipeline, so even if it could have filled/maintained another reservoir in the 80s, we might have hit a window from population grown that needed to wait till additional volume from our eastern reservoirs was available to go forward.

[PhiAlpha]

I dug up a 1980s Oklahoman article saying the Elm Creek Reservoir next to Lake Stanley Draper was going to be built in the 1990s. Anyone know why that didn't happen or when the reservoir may be built in the future?

It appears that the city owns all or most of the land required to build it.

[jdross1982]

Oh yeah, you can find the plans for the development of OKC's water reservoirs. The city has things planned like 20+ years out.

There's a huge addition going in at Draper--going to massively increase the size of that lake. Two new pipelines, we've cleared up the water rights with the first nations. OKC is sitting pretty for a landlocked city with insufficient natural water sources and a drying up aquifer.

I'd be very concerned as a resident of Edmond, for example, that aquifer is still being depleted and it is still a major source of their water and they are struggling to even pass a GO bond to fix their roads. God help 'em when it comes time to pay the piper on their lack of planning for water resources.

Umm Edmond is in the process of an already approved water resource expansion to the tune of roughly 500 mil. Should all be done in the next 5 years. Will allow Edmond to no longer buy water from OKC.

[cinnamonjock]

It appears that the city owns all or most of the land required to build it.

I noticed that too. Good on them for being so proactive about it.

[jn1780]

My first guess for why an 80s project in OKC got shelved would be Oil Bust, plausibly not helped by the Savings and Loan crisis around the same time.

It seems like this lake had come up in some of the city meetings in the last several years about the new pipeline. That the second pipeline is being built implies we are near the limits of capacity of the original pipeline, so even if it could have filled/maintained another reservoir in the 80s, we might have hit a window from population grown that needed to wait till additional volume from our eastern reservoirs was available to go forward.

That and the original one is very old at this point. Need to get a second one up and going just so they can shut the original down and rebuild it.

[PhiAlpha]

I noticed that too. Good on them for being so proactive about it.

I never realized that the reservoir was the reason that sooner was randomly realigned there. Make sense now.

[Zorba]

I wonder when OKC will begin planning for a new reservoir. They are growing too fast for just Hefner, Overholser, and Draper.

There is land zoned for another lake just West of Draper, FYI.

Edit: Appears I'm late to the party with this info.

[rtz]

If the lake doesn't get filled 100%; it's because they sent it down the river to Eufaula. Water mismanagement?

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...owMedian=false

[rtz]

If the lake doesn't get filled 100%; it's because they sent it down the river to Eufaula. Water mismanagement?

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...owMedian=false

[Urbanized]

Hefner has picked up three feet in the past five days. Four more feet to go.

[Anonymous.]

With the half foot+ of rain over the last 3-4 days, this will be full by the end of the week.

[jn1780]

Did they ever start the Canton release or did they postpone that when they saw the forecast?

NM. I see that they did start a release on the 10-22, but stopped on 11-2.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...owMedian=false

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The water release from Canton began Oct 22 and plans called for it to continue until Nov 5.

[rtz]

Except when the rain started they shut off the flow from Canton immediately.

https://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/CANT.lakepage.html

[Urbanized]

Except..? I purposely said “plans called for it to continue” because I expected that they may have cut off the flow in response the event of significant rain. Everything I posted was factual.

[Snowman]

River levels are at the two highest levels USGS's map shows, greater than 90% and High from Canton through OKC, plausibly down from yesterday. So not like they had much room if wanted to continue.

[Midtowner]

Still liveblogging the rain.

[Urbanized]

Hefner picked up another foot over the past 24 hours. Now only three feet short of full status.

[rtz]

Consider the lake being shaped like a V. More water needed to fill the top.

One thing they never take into consideration is as the lake rises; it slows the intake flow. The locks need to be raised to compensate. They have a limited window and limited water to get in the lake while it lasts.

I used to think that control building on 39th was remotely operated since it looks like it's never used. Till I was there one day and they showed up and went inside and they have to physically operate the electric motor on each jack screw to raise and lower the locks.

[Bill Robertson]

Consider the lake being shaped like a V. More water needed to fill the top.

One thing they never take into consideration is as the lake rises; it slows the intake flow. The locks need to be raised to compensate. They have a limited window and limited water to get in the lake while it lasts.

I used to think that control building on 39th was remotely operated since it looks like it's never used. Till I was there one day and they showed up and went inside and they have to physically operate the electric motor on each jack screw to raise and lower the locks.

The canal feeding Hefner isn't at water level until the lake is full or over. Overholser is above Hefner so the lock also is.