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JD Strong with the OWRB Excited That the Water Rights Agreement Based on Data, Information and Analysis of Water Available
Fri, 12 Aug 2016 05:00:34 CDT
The Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, the State of Oklahoma and the City of Oklahoma City announced Thursday afternoon that they have reached a water rights settlement, which will be presented to Congress for final approval. This will be the 30th such agreement nationally and the first such settlement in the state of Oklahoma.
When finalized, the settlement will resolve long-standing questions over water rights ownership and regulatory authority over the waters of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations' historic treaty territories, an area that spans approximately 22 counties in south-central and southeastern Oklahoma. The agreement provides a framework that fosters intergovernmental collaboration on significant water resource concerns within the Settlement Area, while at the same time protecting existing water rights and affirming the State's role in water rights permitting and administration. Additionally, the agreement will implement a robust system of lake level release restrictions to allow Oklahoma City's measured use of Sardis Lake for municipal supply purposes while continuing to support regionally critical recreation, fish and wildlife uses.
JD Strong with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board is excited about how the negotiators got past emotion and tradition and focused on the "data, information and analysis" that this agreement is based on. Strong believes that the deal will be good for the Indian tribes, Oklahoma City, Agricultural interests and other users of water in the state of Oklahoma as will ensure that adequate water will be always in the Kiamichi River basin for the needs of southeastern Oklahoma while providing the basis to take surplus water for other uses outside of that region. He talked with Sam Knipp after the announcement and you can hear his comments about the agreement by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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