Lake Hefner at record low water levels, when will city buy Canton water?

[jn1780]

Drove by Overholser lake today and it looks fine. Doesn't look low at all. Maybe there's hope afterall. Maybe OKC will not run dry as some would like you to believe. I would imagine Canton got a good fill after this latest round of rain. More rain coming in a few days also. My bet is Canton and the OKC lakes will be full again after spring rains. Time to relax.

We would need record breaking rain just to end the drought according to the NWS. Its possible that Hefner could be filled up(because of water from Canton and higher annual rainfall in this part of the state), but its highly unlikely that Canton will be anywhere close to normal levels this year. It would take a tropical storm going over us like Erin.

There was some good rain last year too that gave us some drought relief for a time then the drought came back in full force.

[OKCisOK4me]

Drove by Overholser lake today and it looks fine. Doesn't look low at all. Maybe there's hope afterall. Maybe OKC will not run dry as some would like you to believe. I would imagine Canton got a good fill after this latest round of rain. More rain coming in a few days also. My bet is Canton and the OKC lakes will be full again after spring rains. Time to relax.

I sincerely doubt a couple of rains are going to fill Canton up. What are you, a 7th grader?

[OKCRT]

I sincerely doubt a couple of rains are going to fill Canton up. What are you, a 7th grader?

Who said anything about a couple of rains? I said Canton and OKC lakes will be full again after spring rains. And they very well could be. We will see come June. lets see what the next 4 months bring. We have a good start and more on the way so we will see.

[jn1780]

Well, I just hope its enough to balance out the summer dry period.

[ljbab728]

Who cares...move on from it.

Obviously you care or you wouldn't have made the original comment, responded to my post, and wouldn't keep posting here. LOL

When someone doesn't understand a point I make there is absolutely nothing wrong with correcting that situation.

[ljbab728]

The water level at Canton has now started rising.

CNLO2: Canton Lake (tabular)

[OKCisOK4me]

Who said anything about a couple of rains? I said Canton and OKC lakes will be full again after spring rains. And they very well could be. We will see come June. lets see what the next 4 months bring. We have a good start and more on the way so we will see.

I get ya...but our track record of rains the last few springs have not been drought ending, just drought busting. Trust me, I hope it rains 25" this spring!

[OKCTalker]

DO reporting this morning that the gate was closed at Canton yesterday after slightly more than 30,000 acre-feet were released, lowering Canton to within three feet of its "inactive pool" level, and raising Hefner by around nine feet. It should rise another "couple of feet over the next few days" according to Debbie Ragan, OKC utilities spokeswoman.

I've lived through drought in other parts of the country, and you'd see everyone - everyone - get behind water conservation. Not many grumbles about anything except the weather, everyone on the same team, everybody doing their part. When facing troubles, I see Oklahomans doing a much better job of "bucking up" than anyone else. So pull it together everybody. A little short-term self sacrifice will go a long way towards refilling the reservoirs.

[bluedogok]

Something I noticed in Austin on a recent visit. Several city buildings and others actually had fake grass around their buildings. The good looking stuff too - not the indoor/outdoor carpet grass. I'd so do that if they could get the price down.

The makers of athletic field products like FieldTurf (and other similar products) have started marketing their products for that type of use.

[Bellaboo]

Tonight's news has the Canton area and watershed getting 3.3 inches of precipitation. Snowfall is expected from 18 - 20 inches from Canton clear to the panhandle. The ground is still pretty saturated so hopefully there will be
an exceptional amount of runoff.

[Teo9969]

Tonight's news has the Canton area and watershed getting 3.3 inches of precipitation. Snowfall is expected from 18 - 20 inches from Canton clear to the panhandle. The ground is still pretty saturated so hopefully there will be
an exceptional amount of runoff.

I mean, the runoff should be super helpful, but the 1.5 to 2 feet BEFORE the runoff is insanely awesome.

[Davo]

I mean, the runoff should be super helpful, but the 1.5 to 2 feet BEFORE the runoff is insanely awesome.

That 1.5 to 2 feet of snow only amounts to about 3-4 inches of water but it is still helpful nonetheless, NOAA is measuring parts of NW OK up to 6 inches from this storm alone so far.

[Teo9969]

That 1.5 to 2 feet of snow only amounts to about 3-4 inches of water but it is still helpful nonetheless, NOAA is measuring parts of NW OK up to 6 inches from this storm alone so far.

Right, I wasn't think straight when I posted that.

[OKCRT]

Right, I wasn't think straight when I posted that.

After all the runoff Canton lake will be doing fine. The panic button pushers can relax a little now.

[jn1780]

Hasn't really melted and found its way into the lake yet. It will be interesting where the lake will stand a few days from now.

http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/web...2.current.html

[Just the facts]

After all the runoff Canton lake will be doing fine. The panic button pushers can relax a little now.

Now if you can just get record snowfall every year the problem is solved for awhile.

[Buffalo Bill]

Now if you can just get record snowfall every year the problem is solved for awhile.

or average precipitation, or maybe 80% of average precip. That outta do it.

[kevinpate]

It matters little now, what's done being done and all that, but out of curiosity, my understanding is OKC elected to go ahead and take its permitted draw down when it did, rather than having an urgent need to do so at that particular time. If there wasn't an urgent need, given the couple of moisture events since the draw date began, is there a way to estimate how much more of the water would have reached Hefner had the draw been delayed to this week? Or would it be a no real measurable difference situation?

[law]

It matters little now, what's done being done and all that, but out of curiosity, my understanding is OKC elected to go ahead and take its permitted draw down when it did, rather than having an urgent need to do so at that particular time. If there wasn't an urgent need, given the couple of moisture events since the draw date began, is there a way to estimate how much more of the water would have reached Hefner had the draw been delayed to this week? Or would it be a no real measurable difference situation?

Since no one else has answered. Yes, the savings would have been measurable. Some were estimating 30-50% loss to the river bed. That would have been reduced considerably. More important with this snow and more spring rains between now and then, the draw may have been avoided, saving almost all Canton water for later.

[BBatesokc]

Since no one else has answered. Yes, the savings would have been measurable. Some were estimating 30-50% loss to the river bed. That would have been reduced considerably. More important with this snow and more spring rains between now and then, the draw may have been avoided, saving almost all Canton water for later.

Too bad the city leader's crystal ball wasn't working.

[law]

Too bad the city leader's crystal ball wasn't working.

If they had used some logic, they would not have needed to depend on their faulty crystal ball.

[BBatesokc]

If they had used some logic, they would not have needed to depend on their faulty crystal ball.

I have no issue with their logic. They used the reservoir for what it was for. Did/could it negatively impact some folks? Yep. But so do a lot of very legal decisions by govt's. People are free to protest and make their side known, but personally, I have no problem with the draw. I do wish however people would be better stewards of our natural resources so these decisions would not have to be made.

[jn1780]

Well, this is the same state where people throw a fit when meterologists get a forecast wrong. So you can't expect the city to follow climatological data and release water accordingly. lol

[Rover]

Won't Canton lake be refilled with this latest cycle of rains and snows? If so, this was much ado about nothing.

[Joe Kimball]

Won't Canton lake be refilled with this latest cycle of rains and snows? If so, this was much ado about nothing.

Well, it seems to me that a great foundation has been laid for that, anyway.

Now, I'm seeing that Hefner is at the amazing level, relatively, of 1,193.18 and rising, which is to say that the projected level is bettered; now it's in the fives, at least. Is this all runoff in addition, or is Overholser catching some Canadian River water and sending it on over?