Oklahoma Magazine December 2021

Page 22

T H E S TAT E | N AT U R E

The True Hydration Station

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board ensures the state’s residents have clean and safe water to drink.

O

Staff at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board work to collect physical, chemical and biological data to set Oklahoma’s water quality standards. Photos courtesy OWRB

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f the hundreds of state agencies that exist to ensure the smooth management of Oklahoma, many of them are well known and operate quite publicly – such as the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety. Next time you turn on the tap and fresh water pours out, however, you can thank one of the lesser-known state agencies, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB), for its regulatory oversight of one our most precious resources. “The water board and water management are not really known by the general public,” says Julie Cunningham, the board’s executive director. “You know, you turn on your tap and you expect water to come out, but you don’t think about what it takes, where the water came from, the water rights that your community had to obtain to get that water.” The water board, which is involved in all of those processes and more, has a number of directives, but its main objectives include managing and improving Oklahoma’s water resources through water use appropriation and permitting, water quality monitoring and standards, providing financial assistance for water/

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2021

Cauthron. “We do the beneficial wastewater systems, and dam use monitoring program known safety, among others. as BUMP; we do stream-gauging, “The water board is a very monitoring on groundwater wells, diverse agency with a really important mission,” says Cunning- biological collections ... so that’s a taste of what we do on the moniham. “Our agency is in a position toring. We also write the state’s to do the data collection, and the water quality standards, which are studies to engage with the public used by a number of environmenon these very important water tal agencies where we outline the issues. The challenges are good expectations for water quality in challenges, and our job is to have our lakes, streams an understandand groundwaters ing of those across the state.” challenges Despite ever and let people changing weather know. Let our conditions, aging lawmakers infrastructure and understand, let the financial chalour citizens unJulie Cunningham is nalenges faced by all derstand, and tive to Oklahoma, so the state agencies, the work toward challenges that the state OWRB is adaptresiliency.” faces when it comes ing and working Within the to water resources are to ensure that the agency, there state’s water can are four divinot abstract or distant – continue to serve sions including they’re happening in her Oklahomans for administrative backyard. She worked centuries to come. services, finanin all four parts of the “We are cercial assistance, organization before tainly going to face planning ascending to the top role. our challenges,” and manage“I began at the water says Cunningham. ment, and the board as a temporary,” “Water planning water qualshe says. “We were hired today and in the ity programs. under the Clean Lakes future is going to Bill Cauthron Program, under Bill be different than leads that last water planning division, which Cauthron, to do scientific was in the past. collects physistudies on Oklahoma’s Our biggest chalcal, chemical lakes. I made $6 an hour, lenge is going to be and biological but it was my favorite job the infrastructure data to set I’ve ever had. I had never investment we Oklahoma’s had a reason to travel to need, but as far as water quality every corner of the state the future, Oklahostandards. and we’ve just got some ma has a healthy “Our divibeautiful resources. So water supply.” sion does a that hooked me.” LUKE REYNOLDS lot of different things,” says

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