Water releases from Canton Lake halted for now

Photo By Mary Hudson | Canton lake and dam near Canton, Okla. Photo by Janis Kidwell  

OK, UNITED STATES

08.05.2022

Story by Sara Goodeyon 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District

TULSA, Okla. – Water releases from Canton Lake requested by the City of Oklahoma City for water supply began Aug. 3rd but were soon halted because of administrative issues outside of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District authority.

There is a high degree of public interest in the Canton Lake pool and the City of Oklahoma City’s right to withdraw water. Because of this the Canton Lake Advisory Committee comprised of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Canton Lake Association and the Tulsa District USACE, determined to review the request for withdrawal procedures.

The last significant City of Oklahoma City request was in 2013 and since that time most key personnel involved are new to the process. The Advisory Committee will meet during the week of Aug. 8 – 12, 2022 to confirm procedure and request routing. Once all parties are comfortable, the City of Oklahoma City will resubmit the request for withdrawal.

The Tulsa District USACE and the City of Oklahoma City work together to meet water supply needs. USACE began releasing 10,500 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake into the North Canadian River Aug. 3, 2022. If the releases had continued, the water would have been captured in Lakes Hefner and Overholser. The release had been planned last for 12-14 days and would have lowered the Canton Lake pool by about 1-foot with minimal impact to recreation.

Water supply is one of Canton Lake’s authorized purposes that must be balanced with other purposes in the system of reservoirs. Other purposes include water storage for hydropower, flood risk management, water quality and recreation.

In times of drought, meeting drinking water supply needs is a primary purpose. The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust has used water from Canton Lake since the 1950s. Water utility officials meet with representatives from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Canton Lake representatives, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the US Army Corps of Engineers to carefully plan all water releases so they are conducted in the best interest of both lakes and to replenish drinking water supply.

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• Date Taken: 08.05.2022
• Date Posted: 08.05.2022 14:31
• Story ID: 426654
• Location: OK, US