Cedar Lake Water Crisis Deepens Over Wells and Upstream Dams
Cedar Lake Water Crisis Deepens as Residents Challenge State Findings Over Upstream Dams
A worsening water shortage at Cedar Lake in Canadian County has left some residents struggling with failing domestic wells while a dispute grows over what is causing the lake to disappear.
The Cedar Lake water crisis is affecting a rural community of roughly 400 people west of Oklahoma City, where the lake has fallen more than seven feet and some private wells connected to the Rush Springs Aquifer are producing sand, mud or too little water for normal household use. Residents blame two upstream dams, while the Oklahoma Water Resources Board says its investigation found drought, evaporation and groundwater conditions are more significant factors.
The disagreement is now heading back before state water regulators as residents continue pressing for action.
Cedar Lake Water Crisis Leaves Residents With Failing Wells
The Cedar Lake water crisis has become an everyday problem for families who depend on private wells for drinking, bathing, laundry and other household needs.
Residents have reported wells producing increasingly sandy or muddy water as groundwater levels fall. Some have limited showers, laundry and other water use to prevent pumps from running dry or burning out. Others have purchased storage tanks and hauled water onto their properties.
The community has relied on domestic wells rather than a centralized public water system, leaving individual property owners responsible for maintaining their own water supply.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board regulates groundwater wells and licenses professional well drillers and pump installers, although domestic groundwater use is generally treated differently from larger permitted withdrawals. The agency says Oklahoma water permits are required for most uses of stream water and groundwater other than domestic use.
Residents can review state groundwater and well information through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Wells and Licensing program.
Residents and State Regulators Disagree Over Upstream Dams
At the center of the dispute are two dams constructed upstream from Cedar Lake on property associated with entities linked to former Oklahoma state senator and former Secretary of State V. Glenn Coffee.
Residents have argued that the dams are intercepting water that historically flowed toward Cedar Lake. An independent assessment by hydrologist Carol Becker concluded the two dams capture runoff from nearly 40% of the lake's watershed, substantially reducing water that otherwise would reach the lake and help recharge groundwater beneath it.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board reached a different conclusion.
A state report found no evidence directly linking the two upstream dams to Cedar Lake's decline and said low lake levels are more likely connected to drought, declining groundwater levels, evaporation and household well use. The report concluded that evaporation can exceed natural streamflow and runoff during drought conditions and that low lake levels could continue even without the smaller upstream dams.
Becker has challenged portions of the state's analysis, including the groundwater data and streamflow assumptions used in the report.
Residents have also questioned the state's handling of the unpermitted dams and have alleged that Coffee's political connections influenced the pace of enforcement. State officials have not substantiated that allegation. The Water Resources Board had considered a proposed agreement allowing the dams to remain while permits were pursued but postponed action after residents objected during a July meeting.
Oklahoma law places dams, reservoirs and water permitting under OWRB rules. More information is available through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Water Permitting program.
Water Testing Adds New Concern as State Board Prepares to Revisit Dispute
The controversy has expanded beyond lake levels as residents seek answers about the quality and long-term reliability of their drinking water.
Water testing conducted in the community has included domestic wells, with concerns raised about naturally occurring contaminants including uranium. Oklahoma environmental officials maintain guidance specifically addressing uranium and other inorganic contaminants that can occur in private drinking-water wells.
Private wells are not regulated like municipal public-water systems, which means homeowners generally carry greater responsibility for testing and treatment.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality provides laboratory information for private well owners, including testing guidance for uranium, arsenic, chromium, selenium and other contaminants. The agency also provides information on testing and maintaining private wells.
Private well testing guidance is available through the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Environmental and Public Health Information program.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Board is scheduled to meet again on September 15, when the Cedar Lake dispute could return to the board. The agency's official meeting calendar confirms the September meeting at the Oklahoma Judicial Center.
For Cedar Lake residents, the dispute remains more immediate than the competing scientific reports. Families are trying to maintain functioning wells and dependable drinking water while regulators, residents and independent experts continue debating how much of the crisis is being caused by drought, groundwater decline and the dams upstream.
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