City of Norman RESOLUTION to PROTECT and PRESERVE the Lake Thunderbird Watershed and Canadian River Corridor
That will EMPOWER the City to take necessary measures to safeguard our drinking water and flood hazard areas
In my last post, I introduced you to two state statutes that the City can potentially use to stop the turnpikes from ravaging our municipal water supply. I encourage you to go back and read that entire post (will take you less than 7 minutes), but as a reminder, those statutes include:
Section 11-37-113. Highways crossing reservoir sites - Power to close (11 OK Stat § 37-113 (2023))
“Any municipality having acquired possession by purchase, condemnation, gift or otherwise, of a reservoir site for a public water supply may close to travel any section line or public road leading into or through the reservoir site.”
and
Section 11-37-115: Pollution of municipal water supply unlawful (11 OK Stat § 37-115 (2023))
“No person, firm, partnership, or corporation, or any of the partners, officers, managers, or employees thereof, shall pollute or permit the pollution of the water supply of a municipality, or any stream, pond, spring, lake or other water reservoir or groundwater aquifer, which is used or which is being held for use as a water supply by a municipality.”
Recently PIKE OFF OTA and Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash have been working together to draft a resolution to bring to the Norman City Council.
This goal of this resolution is to empower the City of Norman to take necessary measures to safeguard its water resources for present and future generations.
This resolution provides a roadmap on how the City can commit to protect and preserve the watershed supplying Lake Thunderbird, along with the areas of concern along the Canadian River Corridor, recognizing these watershed and bodies of water as essential to the health and wellbeing of its current and future residents.
Draft Resolution
The draft resolution as a PDF can be found here and is shown below:
What do you think? Should we add anything to it? Did we miss anything? We want all concerned citizens involved so please let me know if you see anything that doesn’t look quite right.
Please contact your City Councilmembers and City Staff letting them know that you support this resolution and provide some information about why it important.
Feel free to expound on how long you have lived in Norman, that you have supported their past efforts to protect our watershed (like the 2010 Water Quality Protection Zone Ordinance, etc.), and why you oppose the tollroads.
City Council Members
Mayor - Larry Heikkila; mayor@normanok.gov or 405-876-9216
Ward 1 - Austin Ball; ward1@normanok.gov or 405-876-9170
Ward 2 - Matthew Peacock; ward2@normanok.gov or 405-876-9196
Ward 3 - Bree Montoya; ward3@normanok.gov or 405-876-3143
Ward 4 - Helen Grant; ward4@normanok.gov or 405-876-9237
Ward 5 - Michael Nash; ward5@normanok.gov or 405-876-9239
Ward 6 - Joshua A. Hinkle; ward6@normanok.gov or 405-876-9262
Ward 7 - Stephen Tyler Holman; ward7@normanok.gov or 405-876-9263
Ward 8 - Scott Dixon - ward8@normanok.gov or 405-876-9166
All City Council Members: city_council_members@normanok.gov
Here is a draft letter. PLEASE pick and choose paragraphs, and/or change this up a bit to make it sound like it came from you. I know elected officials HATE getting form letters, so please personalize it a bit prior to sending it.
Example Letter
Dear Councilmember (NAME)
My name is (YOUR NAME) and I reside in Ward (Ward #). I fully support the City’s efforts to stop the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority from constructing 6-lane tollroads through our impaired watershed that provides Norman’s drinking water supply. I also support the City’s efforts to keep tollroads out of the ecologically sensitive Canadian River Corridor, where multiple threatened and endangered species reside.
To that end, I am asking you to support the recently proposed “resolution to protect and preserve the Lake Thunderbird Watershed, the Canadian River Corridor, the City’s Drinking Water Supply, and the City’s Flood Hazard Areas.” I have attached it to this email as a PDF.
This resolution is an important document that empowers the City of Norman to take necessary measures to safeguard its water resources for present and future generations. Within this resolution are the tools that the City can use to stop the Oklahoma Turnpike from continuing with both the East-West Connector and the Southern Extension turnpike plans.
We must act swiftly. The OTA has been full-steam ahead to finish design on the East-West Connector from Newcastle to 24th East in Norman, including the Canadian River Crossing and the I-35 Interchange. They are planning on acquiring right-of-way this fall, once they finish their 60% design documents. They are planning on building their tollroads through our City even WITHOUT having performed any environmental impact assessments. They promised the City they would do these prior to starting construction. But they do not even plan on completing them.
Our City must use every avenue available to stop these destructive tollroads before eminent domain is exacted on our residents and pavement is laid. We can’t easily unlay a road - but we have the pre-emptive power to stop the tollroads from forever decimating our drinking water and protected ecologically sensitive areas using existing City, State and Federal Ordinances and Laws, if we act now.
The City has an obligation to protect our drinking water supply and should force the OTA to conduct a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on both the Lake Thunderbird Watershed and Canadian River Corridor that would be independently reviewed and approved prior to the City supporting work permits in the area.
Knowing that the EIS will show irreparable harm to our City, the City has an obligation, and legal standing, to force the OTA to provide alternative routes to avoid the Lake Thunderbird watershed and the areas of concern along the Canadian River Corridor prior to acquiring any properties for their current routes. The OTA is hoping to get so far along in this project that the City cannot stop them. We have the power to stop them if we take immediate action.
Please support this resolution that will help us stop the impending tollroads, protect our drinking water supply and prevent flood hazards.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME - Ward #)
Thank you! This is incredibly helpful to urge each of us to write our own letter and feel informed in doing so.