Dozens of angry property owners on Tuesday filled a state agency board room demanding the removal of dams that they said are draining their way of life.
Wearing stickers that read “Got Water? We Don’t” and “Save Cedar Lake. Vote No!,” residents accused the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, which is tasked with policing water issues, of doing nothing to help them after they said a neighboring property owner dammed streams feeding the lake they live on without obtaining proper permitting. They filed a complaint months ago seeking assistance.
Residents of the Cedar Lake community, located about 45 miles west of Oklahoma City, said the dams have caused the water in Cedar Lake to drop dramatically, leaving once-floating boat docks sitting on dry land and has contributed to their drinking wells going dry. They also warned they posed a hazard should they fail.
The residents packed the meeting room after learning late Friday that the water resources governing board planned to approve an agreement between it and C&F Ranch and Coffee Grounds LLC that would allow the dams to remain in place with no public discussion.
Glenn Coffee, who serves as a senior legal consultant to the state Senate Republican caucus, signed the proposed agreement as the manager of C&F Ranch and Coffee Grounds LLC, according to records. Coffee previously served as Senate president pro tem and Oklahoma Secretary of State, and is paid $150,000 to advise Senate Republicans, according to state records.
When contacted Monday, Coffee said he would like to discuss the issue, but could not.
“As soon as my parents were made aware of the issue regarding their ranch in Canadian County by the Water Board, our family has retained two engineering firms, and a lawyer to guide us in these matters,” he said in an email. “Given that the matter is before the water board tomorrow, and there are other parties threatening other legal actions, we will not be litigating this matter in the public arena.”
Tim Sowecke, an attorney for the residents, said the dams are unpermitted and are “illegally holding water,” which is impacting the other residents’ water in the normally tight-knit Cedar Lake community.
One particular dam is high hazard, he said. If it fails, it will cause imminent peril, or unsafe conditions to the people and property downstream, Sowecke said.
He asked the panel for an amended order that would require two of the dams to release all of the water that residents believe was illegally dammed.
The board’s agreement “allows them to continue to hold water while some vague, undefined, speculative application process occurs,” he said.
“I think their presence here this morning clearly shows that this is very important to them and should not be swept under some bureaucratic rug,” Sowecke said.
George Corbyn, an attorney representing the Coffees, told the board that he disagreed with everything Sowecke and the Cedar Lake speakers said, before he was interrupted by shouting.
Water Resources Board member Ron Justice, a former state senator who served with Coffee, cautioned the crowd to not interrupt or they would be removed.
Corbyn said that since the matter was brought to the attention of his clients, they have hired engineers to work with the Water Resources Board to come up with a plan.
“These dams are good dams,” he said. “They’re solid dams. They’re well constructed dams.”
He asked the panel to approve the order before being interrupted by someone in the crowd who asked “Where is the water? We need our water back.”
“Water is life,” yelled another.
At that point, Justice told the audience the board was going to go into executive session, and asked the crowd to leave the meeting room.
After an Oklahoma Voice reporter told Justice that an executive session was not permissible because it was not on the agenda and in violation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, the panel remained in open session and voted to table the matter until the September meeting.
Cedar Lake resident Anneliese Herren said it is imperative that the board “fix this the right way.”
She said she has had to bring water in 11 times at a cost of $1,100.
“Everybody here either has no water, their well has been dried up, or very little water,” she said.
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