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

[Snowman]

Why is OKC getting water from western Oklahoma where it's dry instead of eastern Oklahoma?

It does get water from the east too, but the full capacity of the existing pipeline to Atoka pretty much already is needed for normal use, so spare capacity needs to come from the North Canadian river which runs eastbound. The city has already purchased the water rights of another lake in the east and are building another pipeline to that area, but it is going to be years before that new pipe is operational.

Plus while the Hefner and Draper plants produce most of the normal water supply, they bring on the old Overholser plant when needed for peaks in the summer.

[Zorba]

The cities need to do a better job of enforcing lawn watering restrictions.

Almost nobody pays any attention the mandatory even/odd conservation plan that is now in place. The same plan is in effect in OKC, Edmond, Norman, Yukon, Mustang and Deer Creek.




We are not low on water because people are drinking it.

The primary propose of the even/odd schedule is to even out loads on the distribution infrastructure. It does nothing to limit the amount of water someone can dump onto their lawn.

[Zorba]

Oklahoma like every other state downstream of Colorado need to realize we are having drier, shorter, and warmer winters and sporadic, unreliable monsoon cycles. Our snowpack can’t sustain all of these states downstream of us forever at current usages when taking into account less snowpack, faster melt times, and drier summers of our own.

Even if lawn usage accounts for 3% of Oklahoma water usage (I don’t buy that number given our lack of heavy industry and aquifer fed farming) , every drop really does matter. Most of the water in the southwestern part of the country comes from Colorado. Even Tulsa’s Arkansas river comes from Colorado headwaters. We have strict water restrictions of our so we can pass on water downstream. It sucks for Colorado to have to make sacrifices just to watch users downstream waste it away.

The vast vast majority of the water coming through Oklahoma does not start it's life in Colorado. Most of it starts in Oklahoma or Southern Kansas.

[Snowman]

The vast vast majority of the water coming through Oklahoma does not start it's life in Colorado. Most of it starts in Oklahoma or Southern Kansas.

Yeah, so much so that they built the infrastructure to have a lake upstream of Canton in the panhandle, it basically failed as the river has such little flow it never could retain enough water to be a permanent lake. Though I guess it does still help with flash flood management along the river.

I have heard some speculation it is at least in part related to depletion of the Ogallala aquifer from the time they did the initial planning on that, but am not sure if what I heard was more a scientific fact or rumor/speculation.

[Plutonic Panda]

Oklahoma like every other state downstream of Colorado need to realize we are having drier, shorter, and warmer winters and sporadic, unreliable monsoon cycles. Our snowpack can’t sustain all of these states downstream of us forever at current usages when taking into account less snowpack, faster melt times, and drier summers of our own.

Even if lawn usage accounts for 3% of Oklahoma water usage (I don’t buy that number given our lack of heavy industry and aquifer fed farming) , every drop really does matter. Most of the water in the southwestern part of the country comes from Colorado. Even Tulsa’s Arkansas river comes from Colorado headwaters. We have strict water restrictions of our so we can pass on water downstream. It sucks for Colorado to have to make sacrifices just to watch users downstream waste it away.

Cry me a river(pun intended). Seriously though do Coloradans use less water than other states? If not then shut it. We all get our water from somewhere and being from one of those places doesn’t(shouldn’t) give you the right to tell others to reduce their usage.

[Zorba]

Yeah, so much so that they built the infrastructure to have a lake upstream of Canton in the panhandle, it basically failed as the river has such little flow it never could retain enough water to be a permanent lake. Though I guess it does still help with flash flood management along the river.

I have heard some speculation it is at least in part related to depletion of the Ogallala aquifer from the time they did the initial planning on that, but am not sure if what I heard was more a scientific fact or rumor/speculation.

You are thinking about Lake Meredith, not Canton: https://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/MERE.lakepage.html The river going into was spring fed, when everyone started sucking the water out the aquifer, the springs dried up.

[Snowman]

You are thinking about Lake Meredith, not Canton: https://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/MERE.lakepage.html The river going into was spring fed, when everyone started sucking the water out the aquifer, the springs dried up.

I am thinking of 'Lake' Optima, which is in the Oklahoma panhandle, while Meredith has had it's issues, it actually had some time it seemed like it was going to work after construction.

[Shuffinator]

https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov...00&open=112444

Looks like it has gotten to Yukon. Not quite to Hefner yet by the data perspective.

[rtz]

If anyone lives out that way; drive up highway 4 by the Express Ranch and see what the river flow looks like from the bridge.

https://goo.gl/maps/jJtV7BARDzmuqXuq5

[PaddyShack]

Does anyone have any leads as to the history of the Canadian River, outside of Wikipedia and the top returns on Google. When looking at Google Maps the Canadian River looks like it used to be a rather wide river, but I haven't seen any photos that show it much larger than a thin creek in most places.

[mkjeeves]

Does anyone have any leads as to the history of the Canadian River, outside of Wikipedia and the top returns on Google. When looking at Google Maps the Canadian River looks like it used to be a rather wide river, but I haven't seen any photos that show it much larger than a thin creek in most places.

There are some tidbits of river history peppered in this entry on Doug Dawgz page http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2013/02...-1884.html?m=1

[catch22]

Cry me a river(pun intended). Seriously though do Coloradans use less water than other states? If not then shut it. We all get our water from somewhere and being from one of those places doesn’t(shouldn’t) give you the right to tell others to reduce their usage.

Why the hostility? It’s a resource shared by everybody. It is finite.

[catch22]

The vast vast majority of the water coming through Oklahoma does not start it's life in Colorado. Most of it starts in Oklahoma or Southern Kansas.

Correct. Hence why I said southwestern and made the distinction of the Arkansas river which flows through Tulsa . It was a general statement on being resourceful. I could have made my post more clear.

[Shuffinator]

If anyone lives out that way; drive up highway 4 by the Express Ranch and see what the river flow looks like from the bridge.

https://goo.gl/maps/jJtV7BARDzmuqXuq5

I will run by there after work.

Actually went by Hefner and there was a small stream of water starting to com over the ledge. I don't know why, but this has been fun to track!

[Jersey Boss]

How boujee or what?
https://kfor.com/news/local/water-th...-neighborhood/

[Plutonic Panda]

Why the hostility? It’s a resource shared by everybody. It is finite.

I wasn’t being serious sorry haha. I should have added /s. Humor is lost on the internet. I agree with you!

[PaddyShack]

How boujee or what?
https://kfor.com/news/local/water-th...-neighborhood/

What neighborhood? I don't care to wait until the 10pm news to hear about it. Just tell me darn it!! Haha

[rtz]

It appears the water is now at the locks. It really picked up speed after it got to El Reno.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...065&period=P7D

[rtz]

They opened the canal! I was wondering if they would today.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...065&period=P7D

[Bits_Of_Real_Panther]

They opened the canal! I was wondering if they would today.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitorin...065&period=P7D

Alright, going to douse the lawn for a few hours during this rain, thanks for your sacrifices lake canton!

#CitySlickers

[Snowman]

Does anyone have any leads as to the history of the Canadian River, outside of Wikipedia and the top returns on Google. When looking at Google Maps the Canadian River looks like it used to be a rather wide river, but I haven't seen any photos that show it much larger than a thin creek in most places.

You kind of need to be careful searching this way. The Canadian River is not actually the one that we have been talking about here, it is the much wider river south of Will Rodgers Airport and Norman.

The North Canadian River, which is what goes through downtown OKC and is our water source, is sort of a medium river, which is a tributary of the Canadian River. In OKC and many miles downstream it was widened a lot to avert the flooding it use to have.

There also is a chance that there is mislabeling between the two.

[Jersey Boss]

Google News - EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Luxury neighborhood pond allegedly filled with stolen city water
https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

Over 700k worth of watet was stolen from OKC by The Lakes at Timberidge over the last couple of years.
It remains to be sern if criminal charges will be pursued.

[PaddyShack]

You kind of need to be careful searching this way. The Canadian River is not actually the one that we have been talking about here, it is the much wider river south of Will Rodgers Airport and Norman.

The North Canadian River, which is what goes through downtown OKC and is our water source, is sort of a medium river, which is a tributary of the Canadian River. In OKC and many miles downstream it was widened a lot to avert the flooding it use to have.

There also is a chance that there is mislabeling between the two.

I was meaning the larger Canadian River. I know the difference, just when I was looking at Google Maps for Lake Meredith, mentioned upthread, I noticed some areas of the Canadian River appear to once be quite wide versus what we have now.

[KayneMo]

I was meaning the larger Canadian River. I know the difference, just when I was looking at Google Maps for Lake Meredith, mentioned upthread, I noticed some areas of the Canadian River appear to once be quite wide versus what we have now.

I think that's the river's floodplain you are seeing, created over the course of a river's existence.

[mkjeeves]

Google News - EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Luxury neighborhood pond allegedly filled with stolen city water
https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

Over 700k worth of watet was stolen from OKC by The Lakes at Timberidge over the last couple of years.
It remains to be sern if criminal charges will be pursued.

Someone needs to pay for this with money and jail time but I don't think that will ever happen. Who are the developers? The story said one lives at the location.