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City of Bartlesville

Posted: Apr 24, 2019 6:22 PMUpdated: Apr 24, 2019 7:37 PM

Copan Water Rights Become Feasible Across the Region

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Garrett Giles

Water purchases from Copan Lake became feasible Wednesday for the City of Bartlesville. Bartlesville Mayor Dale Copeland said they are anticipating exciting changes.

Through the 2018 America’s Water Infrastructure Act authored by Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, the senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has confirmed Bartlesville will be able to purchase water from Copan Lake at a reasonable cost.

Mayor Copeland said the guidance from the provision states the district commander should identify the most recent contract entered into by the local government and any new contracts cannot exceed 110-percent of the previous contract.

He said the Tulsa District had determined that the most recent prior contract with the City of Bartlesville in the Verdigris River Basin was entered in 1982, for water supply storage at Hulah Lake for a price of $67.38 per acre-foot of storage.

Sen. Inhofe said Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently quoted Bartlesville nearly $2,000 per acre-foot. That to Sen. Inhofe was an unacceptable increase that would have made purchasing water financially impossible without burdening ratepayers.

Applying the “not to exceed 110-percent” factor yields a rate of $74.12 per acre-foot. Mayor Copeland said this allows the City of Bartlesville to stay competitive and do what they need to do at a reasonable rate for the tax payers. This, Mayor Copeland said, helps secure water for surrounding communities after a decade of hard work.

Combined with the City’s planned wastewater reuse project, will provide a drought resilient water supply for the area through at least 2060.

Mayor Copeland said that impacts 50,000 people in Washington County and parts of Nowata and Osage County. He said they depend on access to reliable water storage in order to keep up with regional growth and foster economic development

As soon as a contract is executed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Bartlesville will have immediate access to this water through the existing infrastructure. For the first time since the City began pursuing this avenue in 2007, they will have another water source to combat a drought emergency.

The City of Bartlesville Water Resources Committee was formed in 2003 to seek new avenues for water supply sources after severe drought conditions hit the area in 2001-2002. In 2006, the City contracted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study to determine the economical water supply.

The Corps completed the report and recommendations in December 2007, and at that time, the City began petitioning the Corps of Engineers for a reduction in the cost of water supply at Copan Lake.

Thanks to the hard work of Sen. Inhofe and many others, Mayor Copeland is excited to share the news with the public that water rights are more feasible.

Mayor Copeland said thanks to the hard work of many, the water supply is available to the region at a reasonable, fair rate. He said there is evidence in this case that shows what government and private citizens can do when they come together for the common good.

He thanks former Bartlesville Mayor and current Bartlesville Sen. Julie Daniels, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen, retired City Manager Ed Gordon and the late, retired Water Utilities Director Mike Hall. Thanks have also been extended to all members of the City of Bartlesville Water Resources Committee.

  


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