Water plan moving forward

Resident comments were tallied in 2007, and now Oklahoma water officials are moving to the next step in developing the state’s water plan to provide adequate water supply for the next 50 years.
The second phase of the comprehensive water plan will be to hold 11 regional input meetings with nominated delegates discussing issues presented by residents. The 30 delegates for each area were nominated by the public.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s Web site states that the purpose of the meetings is to ensure the full range of Oklahoma’s water issues — and eventual policy recommendations — are identified for inclusion in the final statewide plan.
Pottawatomie County is in Region 6, which includes Payne, Hughes, Lincoln, Seminole, Okfuskee and Pawnee counties. The Region 6 meeting will be Nov. 13 at Seminole State College.
There will be two meetings in each region. The afternoon meeting will be for delegates to discuss categories and priorities for the area. The second meeting will allow residents to make comments on results from the afternoon meeting.
Representatives from the tri-county area are Dan Sebert, Seminole; Donald Martindale, Lincoln; Eric Held, Pottawatomie; Jim Collard, Pottawatomie; Jerome Ewen, Lincoln; Jo Davis, Pottawatomie; Dr. Joe Taron, Pottawatomie; Kim Baker, Lincoln; Linda Peterson, Pottawatomie; Mary McCormick, Seminole; Pat Smith, Lincoln; Richard Kunze, Pottawatomie; Shawna Turner, Pottawatomie; and Steve Saxon, Seminole.
Alternates for the meetings are Chuck Mills, Pottawatomie; and Syd Morgan, Seminole.
Discussion topics for the meeting will include agriculture, conservation, demand projection, distribution, infrastructure, funding, municipal water infrastructure, priorities, regionalization, sustainability, watershed, storage, etc.
Following the regional meetings, there will be planning workshops in 2009.  The workshops will formulate alternative water resource management strategies. Twenty Oklahomans will be involved in this step.
The fourth step in the process will be a town hall meeting in 2010. The meeting will be three days in Norman with 150 Oklahomans involved.
After all the data is compiled, the final steps for the water plan will take place in 2011. OWRB and Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute will review and discuss a draft for the plan.
The final draft will be delivered to the State Legislature and governor in 2011.
Once approved, the 2011 water plan will replace the 1995 plan. It will address water sources, quality and distribution for Oklahoma.
In 1974, the Oklahoma Legislature enacted 82 O.S. §1086.2(1) which requires the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to develop a strategic guide for managing Oklahoma’s water resources for the next 50 years. The Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan was first published in 1980 and updated in 1997. The Oklahoma Legislature, in 2006, appropriated funds for the current update.
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Amanda Gire may be reached at amanda.gire@news-star.com or at 214-3934.