|
OKLAHOMA CITY –
Officials and water planning specialists with the Oklahoma Water Resources
Board (OWRB) have announced a public forum in Tahlequah regarding an
upcoming pilot study to look at fish and recreation flow needs, also
called “instream flows,” upstream of Tenkiller Reservoir on
the Illinois River, Baron Fork Creek, and Flint Creek.
The OWRB will host
the public forum on January 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tahlequah Armory
Municipal Center located at 100 North Water Street. The purpose of the
forum is to provide information on the instream flow pilot study and
to gather input from stakeholders.
A nineteen-member
Instream Flow (ISF) Advisory Group helped formulate a priority recommendation
in the 2012 Update of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan (OCWP),
which included conducting an ISF pilot study in a scenic river. According
to the OCWP, the concept of “instream flow” has evolved some
over the years but generally describes the amount of water in a stream
or river necessary to ensure downstream environmental, social and economic
benefits are met.
The study, made
possible through a partnership between the OWRB and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Tulsa District, will evaluate whether and how an ISF program
might be implemented in Oklahoma and will be designed to gain a better
understanding of how to balance the needs of multiple users. A technical
workgroup of scientists and experts will collect data and develop a
detailed technical study work plan for future phases of the pilot study.
During the public
forum in Tahlequah, the technical team will provide an overview of the
planned study objectives with time for discussion and questions. Following
the study overview, the team will solicit feedback on how stakeholders
use water, their priorities, and other issues related to how potential
future ISF guidelines might protect the basin’s important stream-related
uses – i.e., boating, fishing, wildlife, riparian habitat, water
quality, aesthetics, and general ecological health.
The technical team
is also gathering information to characterize and understand the extent
of consumptive uses of water in the Illinois River watershed, such as
irrigation, industrial, municipal and domestic supply. However, this
study is not being conducted with any proposed water development project
in mind, nor does it include the operations of Tenkiller Reservoir or
its dam.
As the pilot study
progresses, the OWRB and technical workgroup will host future stakeholder
forums and provide updates. The pilot study is expected be complete
by December 2015.
For more information
about the Illinois River Stakeholder Forum, or the Instream Flow Advisory
Group, please visit the Instream Flow Advisory Group website, or contact
Derek Smithee at 405-530-8800 or derek.smithee@owrb.ok.gov.
###
|
