G. L. U. E. Member’s Report March 3, 2009

Shoreline Management Plan: Although it has seemed extraordinarily quiet over the last sixty days, the wheels have continued to turn. Since GRDA’s written response to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s request for clarification of the submitted plan, no new SMP communications between the two agencies has occurred. But I have reviewed the 207 page response more thoroughly and the first 25 pages are the most important. The authority is pretty much sticking by their guns and has just provided additional information and justification for the way the plan was written in its final form.

In an effort to keep Dan Boren in the loop, we have been sending all of our GLUE reports to his field representative, Peggy McGehee who has been forwarding them on to the congressman’s Washington office. As you might recall, Boren has agreed to arrange a meeting with FERC, if the process starts to get out of hand. We also have a commitment from GRDA CEO Kevin Easley to take part in such a meeting if required. We’ll keep you posted as additional information becomes available.

Legislative Initiative: Representative Doug Cox has a bill in the works to address the complex property boundary issues on Grand Lake. The bill is being co-sponsored in the Senate by John Ford from Bartlesville. The language of the bill grants an easement to adjacent property owners to the 750’ lake elevation. The only requirement of the adjacent property owner would be the maintenance of the easement property between the actual property line and the 750’ elevation.

Folks the intent is not a license to steal, but it does provide relief to those who have built structures on GRDA property inadvertently. Under existing conditions, if an adjacent property owner had structures occupying GRDA property which had been there prior to July 2005, the area of encroachment could be leased from the authority for fair market value. If the new bill becomes law, no lease arrangement would apply. This would sure simplify the lives of a lot of Grand Lakers.

As might be expected, the bill is already being opposed in Oklahoma City by the Duck Creek Property Owners Association. Their claim is it would give people the right, like Arrowhead, which is obviously public enemy number one of Mike Brady & Company, to construct retaining walls and other structures on state property with no penalty. Nothing could be further from the truth. The language of the bill would not apply to post 2005 construction.

The bill made it out of the House committee on a 7-2 vote. It has a long way to go, but for you members in Tulsa and OKC, we may be soliciting your help in contacting your local metroplex representatives who are not familiar with the complexities of Grand Lake. We may well want to initiate a petition like the one’s previously done to support the water level and SMP issues. We’ll keep you posted.

Water Quality Update: Almost each and every person who has ever completed a GLUE membership form has always checked water quality as an area of interest. Over the past ten years, we’ve been bombarded with information about the contributing factors to the possible decline in our lake’s water quality Please note I said possible.

There has been the ongoing battle regarding the spreading of chicken litter as fertilizer in the watershed. Many claims have been made by all concerned parties, including our attorney general. There have been others who have pointed to faulty septic systems associated with homes in close proximity to the lake. There have been outcries about the dumping of raw sewage in popular gathering spots like Dripping Springs, Party Cove and Woodward Hollow. But what do we really know.

For years, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board has been provided data from thousands of volunteer samplings by the Grand Lake Water Watch Program and others. But there’s always a reason, usually manpower or funding, as to why trend analysis and other information isn’t assembled and made available. When I personally pressed one of the OWRB honchos about this issue, I was told and I quote, “Be careful what you wish for.” How’s that for a basket full of warm and fuzzy feelings.

The original intent of the volunteer water monitoring program was to establish a base line to compare future data against to determine trends. As a member of the Steering Committee for the Water Watch Program, I’ve never seen any definitive data which would indicate this had ever been accomplished.

But maybe those bureaucrats are just a lot smarter than the average Grand Laker and know the monitoring of Grand Lake is not where our emphasis should really be. The most recent environmental impact study, conducted by the University of Oklahoma to determine the impact habitable structures might have on the lake, revealed much more than eliminating claims about the negative impact these structures might have on our water quality.

The study confirms the majority of factors contributing to the water quality issues on Grand Lake occur upstream. The study cites agricultural run-off, municipal sewage discharge and chicken litter applications as some of the most significant contributors to the state of the lake. The key here is that upstream is mostly made up of water inflow from Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. So am I the only one who sees a problem with an Oklahoma state agency trying to police agencies in those other states? The good news is the local sheriff, as in the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, is being replaced by what I would compare to a federal marshal.

The new marshal in town is the Grand Lake Watershed Alliance Foundation. If you visit their web site, www.glwaf.org, you’ll find their purpose stated as follows:

OUR PURPOSE: Our Foundation focuses on preserving, protecting and improving water quality within the Grand Lake O' The Cherokees watershed. Tributary rivers and streams flow into the watershed from parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

THE KEY: This citizen-based organization works cooperatively with local, state and federal government organizations; the Grand River Dam Authority; businesses; citizens; tribal entities; and other organizations dedicated to improving water quality.

STAKEHOLDERS: It's recognized the watershed has a vast range of stakeholders who both benefit from excellent water quality and/or influence the water quality. The Foundation will serve as a means and method for watershed stakeholders to actively participate in matters affecting water quality.

EDUCATION: The Foundation will provide water quality related training and education to the public.

PARTNERSHIP: Other water quality organizations are and will be established within the Grand Lake watershed. The Foundation will partner with organizations having similar objectives including other Not for Profit organizations.

SCIENTIFIC: The collection and analysis of water related data is important to water quality management. The Foundation is committed to work with the scientific community and governmental organizations.

I would encourage those of you who have expressed an interest in water quality to visit their web site for additional information. This is the same type of organization that was organized to save the Chesapeake Bay and its water quality had gone way south before being turned around. It’s important to note that Grand Lake is nowhere close to that of the Chesapeake Bay, but it’s my opinion we should be addressing prevention now rather than later.

As many of you know, I’m serving as the president of the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce for this calendar year. At our last meeting, the Water Alliance Foundation made a presentation on their progress since they were formed. They have developed a Watershed Management Plan which reveals more about Grand Lake than I’ve ever seen before. I’ll be preparing a summary of their report in the near future.

Cheers…

...We can make a difference