Water for 2060 Winners Announced at the 2023 Governor's Water Conference
Four new winners were recognized on November 30 for the Oklahoma Water for 2060 Excellence Award, signed by Governor Kevin Stitt and presented by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board during the annual Oklahoma Governor’s Water Conference in Norman.
In 2012, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation to establish a statewide goal of consuming no more freshwater in 2060 than was consumed in 2010. In support of recommendations by a special advisory council to the Governor and Legislature, the Water for 2060 Excellence Award Program was developed in 2017 to recognize individuals and entities making exceptional contributions to the promotion and implementation of water use efficiency and conservation of Oklahoma’s water resources.
The four new winners are Oklahoma State University Extension’s Master Irrigator Program, Johnston Seed Company of Enid, the City of Edmond, and Okmulgee County Rural Water District 1.
The Master Irrigator Program provides advanced training on water conservation, irrigation management, irrigation system and equipment maintenance, and the economics of irrigated agriculture. The program includes classroom training, peer-to-peer exchange of information between producers, field demonstrations, crop consultation, and free-of-charge services through mobile irrigation laboratories. Instructors include specialists in irrigation and production, the Natural Resources Conservation Service staff, and economists from OSU and adjoining states. Research has shown that using precision irrigation scheduling can increase water productivity by 25% compared to conventional irrigation application. This was achieved with a 10% reduction in water use and a 13% yield increase, suggesting that adopting precision irrigation management could reduce water demand by 76,000 acre-feet/year statewide while potentially increasing productivity.
Johnston Seed Company of Enid was recognized for supplying more than four million pounds of cover crop seeds to 44 counties in Oklahoma over the last five years as part of the 2023 Cover Crop Seed Project in partnership with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. The project offers an opportunity to access free and low-cost cover crop seeds to local producers, specifically focusing on areas historically recognized as high wheat producers. The cover crop seeds can be planted behind various cropping practices, such as graze-out small grain winter pastures, disaster-ed out grain fields, or post-harvest grain fields. Cover crops play a pivotal role in the conservation of soil and water resources, and when combined with no-till practices, have shown remarkable results, including an increase in organic matter, improved soil resilience, and enhanced water retention capacity. Every 1% increase in organic matter can result in retaining as much as 25,000 gallons of water per acre. Johnston Seed Company has been an important partner in getting the word out about the importance of cover crops and offering customized seed mixes for area farmers.
The City of Edmond received their fourth award this year for replacing their Lake Arcadia open top drying beds to manage residuals/sludge with a belt filter press system. Virtually all water contained within the sludge is now recycled back through the plant, saving two million gallons of water per year that would have evaporated plus additional water that was being used to keep the system cleaned out and functional. The old system relied on hot, dry, and windy weather to be effective, as well as a system of berms and levies to keep sludge from washing out. The new system can run at maximum capacity year-round with minimal chance of contamination of nearby existing water supplies. Previously, the city was recognized for its “green” water treatment plant at Lake Arcadia and the Coffee Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility, their new elevated storage tank with its innovative underground storage and recirculation system, and their outreach efforts through the “Conservation University” education program and presentations to community groups.
Okmulgee County Rural Water District #1 was recognized for setting the standard for excellence for small systems in rural Oklahoma through a suite of strategies, including infrastructure modernization, system audits, proactive management, and long-range sustainability planning to achieve and sustain maximum efficiency. The small system serves 758 taps through about 58 miles of water lines. They received an infrastructure Leakage Index of 0.8, considered to be outstanding and representative of high levels of active leak control by the American Water Works Association. Additionally, they are currently participating in the Oklahoma Rural Water Association’s apprenticeship program to ensure that future workforce will keep the system operating at these high levels of efficiency. The system received a commendation from Governor Stitt in 2022 for completing a Sustainability Plan and was named “System of the Year” for 2023 by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.
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Nominations are open year-round at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/df9bc3f3bda443528023e11cff91180e. Previous award winners can be viewed at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ff2f4961d00245a9b00584a614c0f44f and https://oklahoma.gov/owrb/news-and-events/oklahoma-governors-water-conference.
