OKC to draw water from Canton Lake as drought persists

Listen to this article OKLAHOMA CITY — The release of water from Canton Lake to Oklahoma City is scheduled to begin in mid-September. Oklahoma is still mired in drought and triple-digit heat. Canton Lake is currently about 1.6 feet below normal. After the water is released to Oklahoma City, the Canton Lake Association projects the lake will drop another 3 feet. After it leaves Canton, the water journeys about 100 miles down the North Canadian River to reach Lake Hefner. Along the way, about 30-40% of the water is expected to evaporate or soak into the riverbed and banks. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board voted on a release request from Oklahoma City just before Labor Day weekend. The release is currently planned for Sept. 17, according to a spokeswoman for Oklahoma City, 'as recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.' The Corps manages the dam at Canton Lake. Lake Hefner stores about 40% of OKC's drinking water, and its levels have been steadily dropping because of hot and dry weather. Oklahoma City has drawn from Canton Lake before in 2013, 2022 and 2024 . Visit KOSU at kosu.org.