OKLAHOMA CITY – On Thursday, September 17th, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust (OCWUT) plans to release water from Canton Lake, in Blaine and Dewey Counties in western Oklahoma, to travel down the North Canadian River and replenish Lake Hefner, one of the primary water sources serving Oklahoma City residents.
This year’s brutally hot and arid summer has lowered Lake Hefner’s water levels, and the OCWUT, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have a time-tested plan in place to address the issue.
“This will be the first water release OCWUT has made from Canton Lake this year,” a press release from The City of OKC reads, “with the most recent release occurring in 2024.”
Drought causing low level at Lake Hefner
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows how Lake Hefner’s water levels have changed significantly this summer. In one chart from their website, it can be seen that just since August 11th, the water level has dropped more than two feet.
Stretching back to July 11th, Hefner’s levels have fallen by more than five feet, exacerbated by an unusually dry summer in the metro area and the density and size of the OKC population served by the lake.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), this summer’s low precipitation and high temperatures and heat indexes has caused “extreme drought” across most of the OKC metro area and Oklahoma County.
Both Blaine and Dewey Counties, home to Canton Lake, are currently experiencing “exceptional drought,” the highest designated level of drought, according to the NIDIS.
The replenishment plan
The City’s press release outlines the plan for OCWUT and Corps to release the water and replenish the struggling Lake Hefner.
“The anticipated 16,000-acre-foot release is expected to lower Canton Lake by about three and a half feet and raise Hefner’s water level by a little over four feet,” the release reads. “The water will travel down the North Canadian River to Lake Hefner, with the first signs of water expected to arrive within three to five days of the release beginning.”
Releasing the full amount into Lake Hefner is “expected to take approximately two weeks to complete.”
Though Canton Lake sits roughly 100 miles away from the OKC metro, it’s never been used as a municipal water source in its own area.
Oklahoma City has actually held the rights to the water in Canton Lake since the 1950s, first for flood control, and then as a replenishment source.
“OCWUT holds water-storage rights at Canton Lake,” the City’s press release makes clear, “and coordinates planned releases with the Canton Lake Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Canton Lake Association and appropriate state and local partners, including the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.”
It goes on to say, “This coordination helps ensure releases are scheduled and managed in a way that supports Oklahoma City’s water supply needs while considering potential effects on Canton Lake, recreation and wildlife.”
Canton Lake already low
Even before the replenishment plan for Lake Hefner has begun, drought conditions have already lowered Canton Lake below its normal level.
Due to the “exceptional drought” conditions in western Oklahoma, the level of Canton Lake is currently monitored at more than 1.8 feet below normal, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, meaning that the lake is expected to sit near 5 feet below normal after the replenishment for Lake Hefner.
Statewide drought conditions in 2013 required a release from Canton Lake of 30,000 acre-feet of water for Lake Hefner. That release contributed to the level of Canton Lake reaching a low of 13 feet below normal.
The lake’s level did not return to normal untl 2016.
The water release from Canton Lake is set for September 17th, and will support one of the main water supply resources for Oklahoma City residents for the remainder of this scorching summer.
Tyler Smothers is a local, an Okie, and a poet living in Oklahoma City with his wife, Sadye, and their animals, Toby and Oscar.
He teaches medieval history and literature to 7th graders and loves everything from "Canterbury Tales" to "Mrs. Dalloway."
