Agencies authorized to assist in maintaining and improving water quality - Coordinated watershed restoration and protection strategy

  1. Law
  2. Oklahoma Statutes
  3. Waters and Water Rights
  4. Agencies authorized to assist in maintaining and improving water quality - Coordinated watershed restoration and protection strategy

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A. The Department of Environmental Quality, the Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission are hereby given the authority to assist the Grand River Dam Authority in maintaining and improving water quality and in preventing and eliminating the pollution of waters within scenic rivers.

B. 1. The Secretary of Energy and Environment shall coordinate with the appropriate state environmental agencies to create a coordinated watershed restoration and protection strategy for each impaired scenic river in this state.

2. The coordinated watershed restoration and protection strategy shall identify all permitted or registered water pollution sources and shall include but not be limited to:

  • a.an overall pollutant-specific load reduction as identified in a developed total maximum daily load (TMDL), or as otherwise calculated in the absence of a TMDL, to bring each impaired scenic river back into compliance with water quality standards,
  • b.pollutant-specific load reduction goals for each state environmental agency to accomplish through its water quality protection programs,
  • c.detailed compliance schedules indicating how much of the load reduction goal will be accomplished each year by each state environmental agency,
  • d.industry-specific descriptions of how load reduction goals for each state environmental agency will be accomplished,
  • e.an outline of innovative, cooperative intrastate and interstate strategies that will be pursued in order to expedite pollutant reductions, in particular where scenic river watersheds cross state lines. Such strategies may include nutrient trading and conservation reserve enhancement program (CREP) initiatives, and
  • f.a list of all permitted or registered water pollution sources subject to the jurisdiction of each state agency within each impaired scenic river watershed, including the following information :
    • (1)types of operations or organizations regulated,
    • (2)list of the registrations or permits issued,
    • (3)details on governmental assistance given, and
    • (4)details of enforcement actions undertaken.

C. 1. For those impaired scenic river watersheds where a TMDL for phosphorus has been developed, the Department of Environmental Quality shall initially allocate a wasteload for phosphorus for discharges from wastewater treatment facilities which enter the scenic river which is achievable by the best available waste control process.

2. The Secretary of Energy and the Environment shall evaluate methods to reduce the contribution of phosphorus to impaired scenic rivers from non-point sources identified by a TMDL.

D. 1. The Grand River Dam Authority shall require all commercially operated flotation device operations and campgrounds using scenic rivers for recreational activities to implement a program to control the amount of pollution entering a scenic river that is impaired by recreational activities.

2. The Grand River Dam Authority shall include in the coordinated watershed restoration and protection strategy an identification of the pollution from recreational activities and those actions taken and planned to reduce the amount of pollution.

E. If the Legislature or the Governor finds that any of the state environmental agencies have failed to appropriately protect water quality standards in an impaired scenic river watershed, the Governor and the Legislature shall take any and all necessary and appropriate action to help the agency to meet its responsibilities.

Added by Laws 1970, c. 68, § 7, emerg. eff. March 17, 1970. Amended by Laws 1993, c. 145, § 335, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1997, c. 241, § 10, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2002, c. 148, § 1, emerg. eff. April 29, 2002; Laws 2016, c. 297, § 13, eff. July 1, 2016. Renumbered from § 1457 of this title by Laws 2016, c. 297, § 30, eff. July 1, 2016.


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