Kiamichi River Water Management Project

The 2016 Water Settlement Agreement requires the Kiamichi River Water Management Project to meet safeguards in the Kiamichi River that protect environmental and recreational needs, including endangered species. 

When the City needs to draw water from Sardis Reservoir, the water will be released from Sardis Reservoir into the Kiamichi River and transported for 35 miles to the City’s intake to be built near Moyers.  These releases to the intake structure will increase the Kiamichi River’s flows between the Sardis Reservoir and Moyers, which is beneficial to the river and its species.

Pursuant to the Agreement, whenever water is withdrawn as part of the KRWMP, we are required to maintain a minimum flow in the Kiamichi River beyond Moyers Crossing, including releasing additional water as necessary to meet this flow requirement, up to the limits established by the Agreement. The benefit from releases will be especially noticeable during drier periods of the year, when natural river levels would otherwise be much lower. During those times, the additional water will help sustain ecosystems and communities that depend on a flowing river.

The project also operates under safeguards to Sardis Lake levels, which will preserve recreational opportunities for activities like boating and fishing.

The Water Settlement Agreement among the State of Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation, and the City of Oklahoma City was ratified by the United States, resolving decades of conflict over Oklahoma’s vital water resources and established a cooperative framework for the future. 

This historic achievement was developed with unifying principles, which reflect the interests of all Oklahomans:

• Protecting our rural communities

• Providing for urban centers

• Protecting existing water rights

• Promoting tourism and economic development

• Protecting recreation and the environment

• Providing unity and cooperation

The agreement also created the Atoka and Sardis Conservation Projects Board with members from all parties for the purposes of supporting projects that enhance recreational use or habitat for fish and wildlife at Atoka Lake or Sardis Reservoir. 

No. The City of Oklahoma City does not plan to, nor is it permitted to, pump 85% of the water from the Kiamichi River Basin to Oklahoma City. Rather, the City is closely adhering to the terms within the historic 2016 Water Settlement Agreement, which requires safeguards to Sardis Lake levels that preserve recreational activities like boating and fishing. Pursuant to the Agreement, whenever water is withdrawn as part of the Kiamichi River Water Management Project (KRWMP), the City is required to maintain a minimum flow in the Kiamichi River beyond Moyers Crossing, including releasing additional water as necessary to meet this flow requirement, up to the limits established by the Agreement. The dedicated additional flow will enhance the river’s natural conditions, supporting recreational activity, wildlife, and the environment, including endangered species such as mussels. The benefit from releases will be especially noticeable during drier periods of the year when natural river levels would otherwise be much lower. During those times, the additional water will help sustain ecosystems and communities that depend on a flowing river.

The KRWMP does not include the building of a dam on the Kiamichi River. Future water releases by the City, are limited by the Agreement and will be a much smaller fraction of the figure 85%, which was mentioned in a recently published documentary. All parties will closely follow the 2016 Water Settlement Agreement between the State of Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation, and the City of Oklahoma City and will closely follow the lake level and river flow conditions spelled out in the Agreement.

No. The City of Oklahoma City is performing studies, planning, and permitting in Atoka and Pushmataha counties in preparation for the project.Representatives from the City are conducting field work to evaluate environmental, geological, historical resources, and specific river studies within the project area, and landowners may be contacted as part of this work. Our goal is to be a good neighbor and limit disruption to residents as much as possible.

Preserving the area's environmental attributes is a key tenet of our project. In fact, this project represents the City of Oklahoma City's opportunity to apply the conditions established in 2016 by the Water Settlement Agreement, ensuring that the project includes safeguards to Sardis Lake levels and the Kiamichi River flows, as well as incorporating water conservation considerations. These safeguards include:

• Reinforcement of Oklahoma laws that protect the current and future water needs within a stream system (basin of origin), including protection of existing and proposed beneficial uses and the needs of local water users.
• 20,000 acre-feet of water from Sardis Lake is reserved on an annual basis for use within the 10-county area surrounding the lake. For context, a typical household in the United States uses roughly 0.4 to 0.5 acre-feet of water per year.
• A system of Sardis Lake level release restrictions, based on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's proposed Lake Level Management Plan, will apply to the City's use of Sardis Lake waters. This system is designed to protect Sardis Lake's trophy bass fishery and other recreation resources while allowing Oklahoma City access to water subject to additional water conservation requirements and integrated management of the City's existing reservoirs.
• Oklahoma City may only divert water when flows are high enough to protect environmental and recreational needs, including endangered species.
• When the KRWMP operates during drier periods of the year and the minimum bypass flow requires additional water be released into the river, the additional water will enhance the river’s natural conditions and help sustain ecosystems and communities that depend on a flowing river.  
• The agreement requires the City to apply water conservation measures, which have already been developed by the City, and extensively use its other water supply reservoirs before the City can draw upon Sardis Lake.

Sources: WaterUnityOK.com and Reagan Waskom, director of the Colorado Water Institute at Colorado State University.

As the City develops the project in accordance with the Settlement Agreement, the City will be completing certain studies in support of federal and state environmental permitting for the project. Understanding the importance of freshwater mussels in the Kiamichi River, and the need to address endangered mussels under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and consistent with the Settlement Agreement, the City has started the consultation process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Both agencies have responsibilities under the ESA.

The City is committed to using sound science and collaborating with these agencies to achieve a higher level of protection for freshwater mussels in the Kiamichi River.

The City is also coordinating closely with members of the local community and the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations as we complete this work. Our goal is to share our findings with federal, state, and local regulatory bodies, including the Nations, to promote future watershed management and conservation efforts.

The KRWMP is a critical component of Oklahoma City’s long-term water supply strategy. It supports the growing needs of more than 1.5 million people throughout Central Oklahoma who rely on Oklahoma City for water. Today, raw water is sourced from four primary reservoirs that span nearly 250 miles across the state: Lakes Hefner and Stanley Draper in Oklahoma City, Canton Reservoir in northwest Oklahoma, and Atoka and McGee Creek Reservoirs in southeast Oklahoma.

This regional approach is guided by a comprehensive lake management plan that balances use across all supply reservoirs to promote sustainability and reliability.

Some local community members have raised questions about why Oklahoma City doesn’t rely more heavily on nearby aquifers, and the answer lies in both history and science. From Oklahoma City's founding through the late 1990s, groundwater wells were used alongside surface water from the North Canadian River system. During the drought of record in the 1950s, the City ramped up groundwater use in a desperate attempt to supplement Lakes Overholser and Hefner—but many wells dried up within days. A 1954 study concluded that groundwater could not serve as a sustainable long-range water supply, prompting the City to pursue more reliable surface water sources in southeast Oklahoma.

Subsequent studies confirmed that conclusion. A 2014 report by the U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Water Resources Board found the Garber-Wellington Aquifer, which lies beneath the Oklahoma City metro, to be unreliable and declining in yield. As a result, it is not considered a sustainable water source for a large metropolitan area.

To ensure a safe, sustainable, and resilient water future, Oklahoma City has strategically invested in surface water infrastructure. The KRWMP builds on that plan, preparing the region to meet future demand while protecting water quality and public health for Oklahoma City as well as for Oklahomans who reside within the Kiamichi River Basin, and all basins from which the City receives water.

No, the City is not proposing to build a dam on the Kiamichi River. The City is doing studies ahead of a new water pipeline. The water intake near Moyers is intended to be a low-profile riverbank intake station located on the riverbank to minimize the potential effects on the river.

The KRWMP is in no way connected to the Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation’s proposed hydroelectric project, an out-of-state private development that is opposed by the City. The City of Oklahoma City joined with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations as well as the State of Oklahoma to oppose the SEOPC project.