The USDA drought monitor map issued Feb. 5 predicts more of the same, and now Canton Lake is drained to record low levels to keep Oklahoma City on its unsustainable water usage path. Farmers and ranchers have drastically reduced their cattle herds for lack of hay and water due to this ongoing, severe drought. Another […]
canton lake
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Dry ideas
Lake Hefner Credit: Shannon Cornman At the end of January, the city requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers release water from Lake Canton, to which the city has water rights, to replenish Lake Hefner, a municipal water reservoir that’s down 18 feet below normal. A state wildlife official said that action is likely to […]
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Water from Canton
Canton Lake credit: Tony Adams The city requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begin releasing 30,000 acre feet of water from the reservoir to flow into Lake Hefner, one of OKC’s municipal water reservoirs. The corps opened the gates Jan. 30, with the water expected to arrive in the metro in the next […]
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Drought bout
Lake Hefner Credit: Shannon Cornman Lake Hefner, the primary source of the city’s drinking water, is around 17 feet below maximum capacity, said Debbie Ragan, spokeswoman for the city utility department. In addition, Lake Overholser is 7 feet below maximum capacity; Lake Stanley Draper is also 17 feet below capacity; and Lake Atoka, which supplies […]
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Water hogs
This summer, the city implemented mandatory rationing after water pressure levels dropped, and a nearly statewide drought also has caused some of the reservoirs to drop. On Oct. 11, the city announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was releasing 30,000 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake into the North Canadian River to increase […]