Oklahoma Water Resources Center

Irrigated agriculture faces challenges including droughts, limited freshwater and growing water competition.

Advancements like precision irrigation, which can increase water productivity by 25% while reducing statewide yearly water demand by 76K acre-feet/year, are important for water conservation.

The Master Irrigator Program provides advanced training on irrigation water management, water conservation, and more. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/4160mt7

Regenerative Agriculture may not have a widely accepted definition, but there are commonly accepted aspects that positively impact water availability and quantity.

Using regenerative agriculture practices like minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining permanent soil cover, and diversifying crop or plant cover helps reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching while also improving soil water storage and structure. To learn more: https://bit.ly/3WD8Ua1.

The Regenerative Agriculture Project evaluates regenerative agriculture practices and their impact on the Southern Great Plains. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/4ewkBWL

This week is National Engineers Week! We wanted to take a chance to celebrate some of the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University engineers dedicated to water research here at that Oklahoma Water Resources Center.

Help us celebrate the difference engineers make in our lives this week!

Did you know Lawton's drinking water is entirely supplied from surface water sources? Lawton's drinking water is sourced from surrounding areas, and provides 40 million gallons of water to 92,000 people each day.

To learn more about Lawton's drinking water, visit https://bit.ly/41ndn3G

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and we want recognize Sherry Hunt, a supervisory civil engineer for the USDA Research Services and research leader for DAMTAGS. Her work and family legacy were recently highlighted in the Cowboy Journal.

Learn more about her story here: https://bit.ly/4h4tMPn

Drought can impact water availability, agriculture, the economy, and even increase wildfire risks. The National Drought Mitigation center classifies drought into these four categories:
-Meteorological drought
-Agricultural drought
-Hydrological drought
-Socioeconomic drought

The Conjunctive Freshwater Saltwater Management project is researching how to reduce the demand of freshwater by blending it with saline water to stretch water supply. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/3QzmOG0

Did you know that Oklahoma has over 120,00 wells?

Keeping your personal well water safe is essential for your health. Here are a few tips to help you keep your well water safe:
Test your well water annually
Avoid using pollutants like pesticides, fertilizers, or fuels near the well
Don’t dispose of waste in dry or abandoned wells
Maintain and inspect your septic system regularly

The Oklahoma Well Owners Network offers free water screening events to help you protect your water. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/40rwd9n

Riparian buffer systems, paired with upland management, can serve as a flexible and effective management technique to protect water quality in riparian areas.

Zone one: 15 feet minimum
-Exclude heavy equipment
-Remove trees to reduce hazards
-Restrict livestock (physical or virtual fencing)
-Avoid concentrated surface runoff with proper vegetation and land management

Zone two: 60 feet minimum
-Avoid gullying by maintaining vegetation & grading
-Maintain leaf litter & shade levels
-Management for timber & wildlife is recommended

Zone three: 20 feet minimum
-Maintain vegetation
-Control weeds
-Periodically reshape to prevent gully formation

Learn more about Riparian Buffer Systems here: https://bit.ly/3YYfZn7

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Ali Mirchi as our new Associate Director!

Dr. Mirchi is an Associate Professor within the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. In this role, he’ll collaborate with agencies, agricultural producers, tribal partners, environmental groups, and researchers to develop interdisciplinary initiatives addressing key technical needs.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/40JfUmD

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University

Today is World Wetlands Day! Wetlands play a vital role in Oklahoma, covering about 950,000 acres (roughly 2% of the state). These unique areas improve water quality, ensure water supply, reduce flooding, and provide spaces for recreation. To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/4aulk9N

The Soil & Water Assessment Tool is a small watershed to river basin-scale model used to simulate the quality and quantity of surface and ground water and predict the environmental impact of land use, land management practices, and climate change. SWAT is widely used in assessing soil erosion prevention and control, non-point source pollution control and regional management in watersheds.

This internationally-recognized public domain model is the core modeling engine used by OK-HAWQS (a web-based interactive water quantity and quality modeling system) for modeling watersheds in Oklahoma.

With pre-processed datasets, a cloud-based interface, and a powerful modeling engine, OK-HAWQS reduces time and effort by 90% compared to other SWAT based assessments.

In addition to saving time, OK-HAWQS offers a wide range of applications, including evaluating the benefits of conservation practices and nonpoint pollution control scenarios.

Discover how OK-HAWQS can work for you: https://bit.ly

Soil health - defined as the "soil's continued capacity to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans" - supports clean air & water, diverse wildlife and landscapes. Soil health has relationships with all aspects of management - including water and grazing management.

Our regenerative agriculture project is testing the use of winter wheat as a cover crop, and no-till practices, to help improve soil and water quality. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4ewkBWL

Due to recent legislative updates to Oklahoma's water rights administration, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) is improving its processes to:
- Speed up water right application processes and legal proceedings
- Streamline water use reporting and data accuracy
- Increase field services
- Address water use complaints and non-compliance
- To help applicants with document submittal, the OWRB is offering voluntary pre-application meetings.

In addition to improving its processes, OWRB is building an online water-use reporting platform to streamline reporting requirements, enhance data accuracy, and minimize paper usage.

Make sure you don't miss out on water administration and legislative updates by signing up for the OWRB email list: https://bit.ly/3WeUmgv

Despite agricultural importance, the Ogallala Aquifer's groundwater quality and quantity are declining. Warming trends and highly variable precipitation contributes to the decline of a system that drives regional socioeconomic activity and ecosystems.

The vital work of addressing regional aquifer depletion and other water-related challenges requires social connections and management actions from local to global scales. The Ogallala Aquifer Summit (2018, 2021, 2024) unites diverse water managers and practitioners to work on these goals.

The 2024 Ogallala Aquifer Summit Summary Report has been posted! Learn all about the ideas and participation of the Ogallala Aquifer Summit held in Liberal, Kansas on March 18-19, 2024.

Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/49BEAlb

Today is the first day of the 5th ever Master Irrigator Program! The program includes classroom training, peer-to-peer exchange of information between producers, field demonstrations, and free-of-charge services such as energy audits through mobile irrigation laboratories.

Learn more about Master Irrigators here: https://bit.ly/4160mt7

Derrick Wagner, OWRB hydrogeologist, speaking on aquifer studies at an OSU Extension Master Irrigator course.

The Master Irrigator Program from OSU Extension provides advanced training on irrigation water management, irrigation system and equipment maintenance, energy conservation, water conservation and quality, and the economics of irrigated agriculture. The 2025 program will be offered at the Caddo Kiowa Technology Center in Fort Cobb on January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12. Learn more and register here: https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/master-irrigator/

Oklahoma has 23 major aquifers, which provide water for irrigation, drinking water and industrial uses. The groundwater in these aquifers supplies about 90% of the state's irrigation needs and 8% of Oklahomans' drinking water.

To learn more about Oklahoma's groundwater resources, visit https://bit.ly/4gc1bqd

Have you signed up for the next Master Irrigator Program?

Join us on January 22, 29, February 5 and 12 for the fifth edition of the Master Irrigator Program in Fort Cobb, OK. The program includes classroom training, peer-to-peer exchange of information between producers, field demonstrations, and free-of-charge services such as energy audits through mobile irrigation laboratories.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4160mt7

Did you know Tulsa's water supply comes from two sources? Tulsa’s drinking water comes from Lakes Spavinaw and Eucha on Spavinaw Creek and Lake Oologah on the Verdigris River. Tulsa's provides an average of 103 million gallons of water per day to 650,000 people.

To learn more about Tulsa's water supply, visit http://bit.ly/495eSp8.