Contact Information
Phone 580.371.6446
FAX
603.506.0057
Mail
P. O. Box 891
Tishomingo, OK 73460
Email
cpasa_org@swbell.net
Johnston County
Citizen Presentation
to El Reno City Council Meeting
September 9,
2002
John Bruno: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Vice Mayor, Members of the El Reno City Council, Guests, thank you for permitting me the opportunity to address the council this evening. My name is John Bruno and I reside near Tishomingo, Oklahoma - east of Ardmore about 40 miles and south of Ada about the same distance. I am here as an individual landowner on the south side of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer and am joined by Mr. Dick Scalf from Ada (north side of the aquifer) and Mr. Bob Drake from Davis (west side of the aquifer).
Unlike much of the state of Oklahoma, our area is not blessed with oil and gas production or vast wheat fields. But we do have springs, streams and rivers that are basic to our lifestyles, culture and economy. These waterways are seemingly an endangered species if the current plan by PESA to pump water from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer is achieved.
PESA is a company formed for the purpose (as I understand) of securing water in the Arbuckle- Simpson aquifer (which spans portions of 5 southern Oklahoma counties), transporting that water via pipeline and selling that water to whoever will pay for it. I understand that they have approached the city of El Reno and numerous other central Oklahoma communities to purchase this water. My objective here tonight is to appeal to the good people of El Reno to weigh all pitfalls and costs associated with this PESA plan before deciding where their water supply comes from. I truly believe that if you understand the uproar that this plan has created in southern Oklahoma, the numerous efforts that have been initiated to stop depletion of this aquifer, the potential threats that may occur to the ecology and environment in this area, and the economic disruptions that will occur if the springs stop flowing that you will decide that there are easier ways to achieve your water supply needs.
Mr. Jackson, the head of PESA, was cited in the Daily Oklahoman on June 19 of this year as not being concerned about protests by the public. I am hopeful that such callous attitude does not exist with this city council.
Though the AS aquifer is considered a "small" Oklahoma aquifer that is relatively "undeveloped", I liken it to the goose that lays the golden egg. Spillage of the excess water in the aquifer expresses itself as springs. These springs become creeks and rivers and they are essential to many aspects of life in my part of the state. Springs provide year round water flow to Turner Falls, a major tourist attraction near Davis. Other numerous springs exist in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area (formerly Platt National Park) in Sulphur. Springs feed Pennington Creek near Tishomingo and this creek is home to the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery, Camp Bond (a church camp), Slippery Falls Boy Scout Camp, the water supply for the city of Tishomingo and, ultimately the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge. Spring-fed Blue River is home to over 6 miles of public hunting and fishing area operated by the Oklahoma State Department of Wildlife Conservation which hosts thousands of trout anglers from Oklahoma, Texas and a number of other states each year.
Mill Creek is fed by springs (Byrds Mill) that also provide the majority of the water to the city of Ada. Delaware Creek is fed by numerous springs and is the home of the Camp Simpson Boy Scout Camp. Numerous other springs feed other waterways, the ultimate outcome of which provides water to reservoirs such as Lake Texoma and flow to rivers such as the Washita and Red Rivers.
If the aquifer is even partially depleted, then it seems obvious that springs will start drying up. The PESA plan contemplates 70,000 acre-feet per year to be drained from the aquifer, almost equal to the recharge rate. Such drainage is sure to create permanent and irreversible damage to our waterways.
Additionally, if PESA succeeds in tapping the aquifer at the rates noted, then a free for all will likely ensue among other landowners to sell "their" water in or out of state, thereby assuring rapid and complete depletion of the aquifer. If we kill the goose that is the aquifer, the golden eggs that are the springs, streams and rivers will cease to exist. My part of the state will be devastated. Springs that have flowed for tens or hundreds of thousands of years and should continue flowing for thousands more could be extinct in a matter of a few years.
Current Oklahoma water law is somewhat arcane in many respects. It allocates underground water to private owners and surface water to the state but does not recognize their interrelationship. Though there is a move underway to rewrite water law in Oklahoma, there are still some commonsense principles that I believe the OWRB and the State of Oklahoma will adhere to even with existing law.
First, water rights do NOT necessarily give owners of such free reign to do as they wish. Just as a wheat farmer is not necessarily entitled to convert his property to a nuclear waste site or a million head hog farm, water rights owners should not be able to enrich themselves at the expense of tens of thousands of people and a multitude of plants and animals. Second, some may argue whether the Chickasaw Indians or perhaps even the state of Oklahoma has some degree of claim on the waters flowing from this aquifer and the right to ensure they continued flow. Third, even if it is clear that the purported water rights owners have full ownership, the rates at which they can pump can be and will be the subject of considerable debate.
Perhaps compromises can be reached to exchange state reservoir water for the disputed underground water. Collectively, opponents to draining the aquifer agree that the proper way to proceed is to conduct a scientific study of the aquifer - size, recharge rates, transmissibility, potential for land subsidence, possible salt water or sulphur intrusion, etc. - and to let the results of the study drive the ultimate decision as to how much, if any, can be pumped from the aquifer without depleting our springs. The initial budget for that study is in the upcoming fiscal year appropriations budget for the US Bureau of Reclamation and I have been advised by Cong. Wes Watkins office that the appropriation is likely to be approved by Congress. This study may take several years, but it is essential to making sound decisions surrounding this aquifer. Better to take a timeout for several years than make decisions that permanently and detrimentally affect such a precious natural resource. Beyond simple aquifer properties, further investigation is needed into the threat to rare plants and animals that rely on the springs and waterways ecosystem.
I ask the El Reno community to join with us in pressing for a study of this aquifer prior to determining rates at which water can be sensibly produced. I thank you for permitting me the time to share my thoughts with you.
Lewis Parkhill, Tishomingo City Council:
My name is Lewis Parkhill. I am a lifetime resident of Johnston County (aside from some years away at college and in the U.S.Army). I have been privileged to serve on the Tishomingo City Council for the last four years, and I am currently vice-mayor of the city. I am here as a representative of the Tishomingo City Council and as a twenty-five year resident of the city.
I understand the need for the City of El Reno to find water sources to meet present demands and the upcoming 2006 EPA arsenic level requirements, but I would hope that solutions could be found other than the proposed sale of water from wells to be drilled in the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer.
The City of Tishomingo City Council has voted unanimously to oppose the sale, and I know of no one in our city who supports the sale. Our opposition is simple and reasonable–the waters of Pennington Creek, surface waters, but waters which flow out of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, are the sole source of water for our city. Any water removal that lessens the flow of Pennington Creek is a threat to the survival of the City of Tishomingo, the historic capital of the Chickasaw Nation.
Pennington Creek does more than provide our water. It flows through our City Park. “Creek” does not do justice to this stream large enough for canoes, kayaks, and even small bass boats to navigate. The swimming hole at the Pennington Creek dam is a favorite local spot and a tourist destination as well. Pennington Creek is vital to the quality of life of our city.
Its waters come from the north, out of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer and flow through the federal fish hatchery at Reagan. As it leaves our city to the south, Pennington flows into the National Wildlife Refuge, a federally maintained and protected wetland area for waterfowl on the Mississippi flyway. I mention these two facilities to establish the fact of national, prior uses of the aquifer and its outflow.
Unfortunately there is a gap between surface and ground water laws in Oklahoma. Existing laws on surface water prevent new, upstream use which degrades prior downstream uses. However, no law prevents the drilling of a well into the ground water aquifer which is the source of the surface water that is Pennington Creek. The proposed sale of water, without credible studies which establish a level of use which will not degrade prior uses, poses a real and present danger to us. Our only recourse is to present our concerns to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, to our legislators, and to you.
If the permits to drill are approved (for the startling amount of 70,000 acre feet–23 billion gallons per year), if the 88 mile pipeline is built, and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer becomes a major source of water for cities in central and western Oklahoma, then you will have made a very high stakes decision. We will all wait--we will wait to see if the stream which for over a hundred years has sustained Tishomingo dries up, and you will wait to see if an 88 mile pipeline costing over 200 million dollars will be providing you water or only “sucking air” as Dick Scalf of Ada put it. Aquifers are fragile, and we know that even if pumping stops, depleted aquifers can collapse and not recover their original water-holding capacities.
Ours is not an irrevocable opposition to other uses of the aquifer. The Oklahoma legislature has appropriated $55,000 to begin a study which would determine renewable levels of use. Federal funds have also been promised. We ask that you not participate in any project which taps the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer until credible, objective, scientific studies establish a safe and renewable use level of the waters of the aquifer.
Thank you for this opportunity to make our position known.