By Carol L. Cole

Transcript Staff Writer

Sustainability and Oklahoma’s water laws were some of the issues raised at a public meeting Thursday evening for area residents to discuss the state’s upcoming 50-year water plan.

About 100 people crowded into a recently renovated classroom at the Cleveland County fairgrounds to offer their opinions — and there was no shortage of opinions offered.

The evening began with a presentation by Dave Dillon, director of planning for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, which is coordinating the development of the water plan.

Dillon said the Oklahoma Legislature was motivated to update the state’s 1995 comprehensive water plan because of recent drought years resulting in dwindling reservoirs and aquifers.

He said the goal is to provide a safe and dependable water supply for all Oklahomans, while improving the economy and protecting the environment.

The water plan is expected to consider population growth, future water needs, competing water interests, vulnerability to drought and flooding, environmental protection and economic development.

Oklahoma’s circa 1972 water statutes are separated into surface and groundwater laws.

Surface water is considered to be publicly owned and subject to appropriation by the OWRB for “beneficial use.”

However, groundwater is considered private property that belongs to the overlying surface owner.

Since 1973, water wells have increased tenfold. Prior to 1972 there were 6,035 groundwater wells, with the number swelling to 69,921 in April 2007. Of those, about 50,000 were domestic water wells.

“It is not a conservation statute. It is not a sustainability statute,” Dillon said, noting the laws were written to encourage Oklahoma to use water to thrive and grow.

Public water supplies are the primary user of surface water or reservoirs, with irrigation for agricultural uses the biggest user of groundwater.

Dillon showed a graphic with all of Oklahoma’s aquifers dropped several feet from 2001 to 2006, primarily a result of several years of drought, he said.