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

[PhiAlpha]

I get a kick out of it too. We had sailboats for years that stayed on the water. Mostly in a slip a couple spaces from the golf course pump house. There were a few times that we couldn't get our boat out. Once I could walk all the way across where the center row of slips ends on land. But even then a lot of the NE third of the lake was 60 feet deep. And a lot more 30 to
40 feet. There's a lot of water in Hefner when there's dry dirt on the south end.

I bet you were right near my slip! I was three slips down from the pump house (as you walk closer to the main body of the lake). Same here. I only pulled it once when I planned to work on it that winter and the water was getting low at the ramp (still plenty of water in the lake at that point just not enough to pull a boat out of it got lower).

[Bill Robertson]

I bet you were right near my slip! I was three slips down from the pump house (as you walk closer to the main body of the lake). Same here. I only pulled it once when I planned to work on it that winter and the water was getting low at the ramp (still plenty of water in the lake at that point just not enough to pull a boat out of it got lower).

I was two the other way. If you went through the gate and walked straight you would be on my boat.

[Bill Robertson]

I find it funny when the boats at the slips near the restaurants start touching the bottom. That's a sign you don't use your boat enough if you don't notice the water depth get lower and lower.

Some of those boats have limited choices. The smaller ones can of course be pulled out. Many of the larger ones don't have trailers and have to be pulled out by the crane and put on a rented trailer. Then there's no where to park it because they don't have a trailer space rented.
In the municipal slips boats can be hung from the dock by running big tie down straps under the boat and around the dock. Done that a few times. actually repainted the hull of one boat when the water was down for awhile.

[Urbanized]

Only about a foot below full pool now. With today’s rain I’d expect Hefner to be 100% topped off by early next week, if not this weekend.

[Bill Robertson]

Only about a foot below full pool now. With today’s rain I’d expect Hefner to be 100% topped off by early next week, if not this weekend.

Yeah. I went by the canal on the way to dinner and it's flowing pretty well. The extra rain will make that continue.

[Urbanized]

Less than a foot to go, as of this morning.

[Urbanized]

Officially full; in fact .15’ over full pool. I suppose we’ll have to wait for another time to gripe about “water mismanagement.” Sorry to disappoint.

[Teo9969]

Officially full; in fact .15’ over full pool. I suppose we’ll have to wait for another time to gripe about “water mismanagement.” Sorry to disappoint.

If anything, you have to wonder if the release from Canton wasn't a little bit....precipitated

[Jeepnokc]

If anything, you have to wonder if the release from Canton wasn't a little bit....precipitated

any clue how full Canton is?

[Urbanized]

any clue how full Canton is?

It’s three feet below the top of the conservation pool: https://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/CANT.lakepage.html

[jn1780]

If anything, you have to wonder if the release from Canton wasn't a little bit....precipitated

They conjured the drought busting rain into existence when they sacrificed some Canton water into a dry river bed. Just be glad it didn't require a first born son.

[Teo9969]

They conjured the drought busting rain into existence when they sacrificed some Canton water into a dry river bed. Just be glad it didn't require a first born son.

Hahaha!

[Bill Robertson]

With the lake level and the flow I saw in the canal before the last rain I thought the resulting level would be close to the highest I'd seen. But it seems to have topped out about a foot or so below that. But very nice anyway. Not complaining a bit.

[Urbanized]

It’s actually more than half a foot (.6 feet) over “full.” It’s at 1199.6, when “full pool” is 1199 elevation. So it’s about as full as it’s ever allowed to get.

[Bill Robertson]

It’s actually more than half a foot (.6 feet) over “full.” It’s at 1199.6, when “full pool” is 1199 elevation. So it’s about as full as it’s ever allowed to get.

Once in a while they lose control though. It's about 4-6 inches below the bottom of the concrete docks right now. I've seen it up onto the concrete a few times and once almost to the top of the concrete. Those times were a PIA to securely tie a sailboat with a freeboard of 3 feet.

[josefromtulsa]

From a city email:

"Hefner Water Treatment Plant enters next phase of modernization project
11/27/2024

Beginning Dec. 1, Oklahoma City’s Hefner Water Treatment Plant (WTP) will enter the next phase of its $44 million improvement project to modernize its ozone disinfection system and increase treatment capacity.
The project will have no impact on the safety of the water, although some customers may temporarily notice a slight difference in the water’s taste or odor.
“We’re excited to continue making progress on this important upgrade, which we first began last December,” Utilities Director Chris Browning said. “Modernizing the Hefner Water Treatment Plant is a key step in ensuring we can meet current and future demands while maintaining our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality drinking water to all customers.”
During this phase of the project, crews will temporarily shut down the plant’s ozone disinfection system, allowing for upgrades to be made. The shutdown is anticipated to last for five weeks. While the ozone system is offline, plant operators will transition to a chlorine-based disinfection process—similar to the one used at the Draper WTP, where ozone is not utilized. Both types of disinfection meet all regulatory guidelines as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
The replacement of the Hefner WTP’s ozone system is essential as the current system approaches the end of its service life. Once complete, the plant’s rated treatment capacity will increase from 75 million gallons per day (MGD) to 100 MGD, allowing it to better meet peak demand, particularly during high-use summer months.
The Hefner ozone system upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2025. For more information about the Oklahoma City Utilities Department, visit okc.gov/utilities.
# # #
Media Contact: Jasmine Morris, (405) 297-1950, jasmine.morris@okc.gov
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