OKLAHOMA CITY – In the face of increasing water demand and dwindling supply, several industry experts have asked state lawmakers to fund oversight and develop more policy to protect water.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board, which issues water use permits, operates a revolving loan program to help finance water infrastructure projects. The OWRB says it also handles complaints when commercial users exceed their permitted water allowances, but staff members say more funding and policy is needed to meet the growing needs and enforce permit restrictions.
Julie Cunningham, the board’s executive director, told members of a state legislative subcommittee on natural resources last week that data on water usage is critical for the future of water supply.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” Cunningham said.
While the board tracks basin groundwater, lakes and streams, commercially permitted consumers self-report their usage based on estimates from water pumps or irrigated acreage. Meters are not required for private, public or commercial use. The board also depends on voluntary cooperation with landowners as part of its groundwater well monitoring program throughout the state’s water basins.
Water study findings Cunningham shared preliminary findings from the state’s updated Comprehensive Water Plan, a 50-year forecast of water needs. The final report is expected to be published this fall.
Based on current usage rates, by 2075 statewide demand is projected to increase by 13% and more than 50% of the state’s basins are forecasted to have water shortages.
Irrigation and public supply account for the highest groundwater use, with irrigated water far exceeding public use. Permit requests are on the rise with marijuana operations topping the list among mining industries, including oil and gas. Data centers located in the state, which are known to consume high amounts of water, also are using municipal water, Cunningham said.
Permit holders are entitled to use water in proportion to the acreage they own, but two panelists said not everyone is following the rules.
Cunningham said OWRB continues to struggle with “a significant number” of permit holders who are not reporting or underreporting their usage.
Mountain Park Master Conservancy District manager Will Archer told lawmakers noncompliance is a longstanding practice. The district supplies water to Altus, Snyder, Frederick and Mountain Park.
“I’ve seen it for 15 years and it’s a struggle for southwest Oklahoma, and it’s absolutely a risk for the entire state of Oklahoma,” Archer said.
Archer is also a member of a local consortium working to increase water supply in the Altus area and published a 2014 report, the Southwest Oklahoma Water Supply Action Plan.
He said a recent study of the Upper Red River Basin, which involved the OWRB and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, found the state’s water policies will not support the future of water in the state.
“If you read that basin study, it says doing what you’re doing right now is not an option,” Archer said. “It’s a recipe for running out of water.”
The board’s presentation found most other states – including Kansas, Texas, Idaho, Oregon and California, among numerous others – make metered monitoring a requirement as part of the permit application.
While state law, in 82 O.S. § 1020.19, allows property owners to require meter installation in a defined basin area, it’s subject to the approval of the majority of owners. None to date has chosen to do so, said Sara Gibson, the board’s attorney.
“There’s no process set out for that” in the statute, she said. Water policy weaknesses Recommendations for new or improved policy focus on infrastructure, supply, storage and management, and data collection.
Among numerous suggestions, the board asked lawmakers to increase funding to enforce permit regulations. The board also recommended legislation to authorize the formation of water management districts. Such districts, a common practice across the nation, would receive resources for infrastructure planning, well monitoring in basins and local conservation efforts.
Some policy initiatives push financial incentives, including voluntary meter installation to encourage conservation, and nontraditional water use, such as the capture of stormwater.
The panel discussed policy loopholes and misunderstandings by some water users. Poultry farmer operators often insist they are exempt as “domestic” users and not subject to the board’s water regulation, Cunningham said.
The board also recommended a new water fund to leverage existing cost-share programs with local municipalities and Native American tribes for wastewater, stormwater, drinking water and irrigation. It also would fund an emergency assistance program, develop new funding for water infrastructure and create new sources of revenue such as sports betting or local tourism taxes.
Cunningham cited an example of a new water fund in Texas that appropriated a one-time allocation of $1 billion, an equivalent of $130 million based on Oklahoma’s population.
The board also called for an investment to implement a state flood plan and drought management task force. Eradication of water- draining vegetation species, like eastern redcedar, and conservation planning for irrigators and public education in water tourism also made the list of possible actions by the Legislature.
This year, Oklahoma Senate Bill 259 would have required flow meters to be installed for commercial permit holders and impose fines for exceeding the allotted use or for not reporting usage. It was last referred to the Senate’s energy and appropriations committees but did not progress for further discussion before the end of the legislative session.
The Legislature passed a similar measure in 2024, House Bill 3194, but Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed it as 'a violation of private landowners' rights…'