July is Oklahoma Lakes Appreciation Month

  • July 6, 2018

July has been proclaimed by Gov. Mary Fallin as “Oklahoma Lakes Appreciation Month.”

She signed a proclamation emphasizing one of the state’s most valuable natural resources.

Throughout July, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s (OWRB), the Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Waters Association (OCLWA), and several other partners will highlight the vital work that goes into managing, monitoring, and improving the state’s lakes and reservoirs.

Additionally, this month is a great opportunity for citizens to get involved in monitoring and protecting their favorite Oklahoma lake or reservoir.

Through the “Secchi Dip-In”, an effort by volunteers and professionals to gather data on water bodies during a short period of time each summer, citizens can provide annual “snapshots” of water transparency and clarity at their favorite Oklahoma lake.

Recognizing Oklahoma’s Lake Appreciation Month alongside OWRB, OCLWA, and Governor Fallin, are the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

These partners encourage citizens to consider these other specific ways you can show appreciation for your local Oklahoma lake.

  1. Organize a shoreline cleanup
  2. Develop an educational self-guided lake tour
  3. Organize a hike or biking event with a focus on your local lake
  4. Reach out to a local restaurant about hosting a “Lakes Appreciation Night” with a percentage of proceeds donated to your local lake association
  5. Post a pic on social media from your favorite lake, or while you are participating in the Secchi Dip-In. Use #LakeAppreciation.
2018 Lakes Appreciation Proclamation

Okahoma Lake Facts

  • Oklahoma’s largest lake in surface area is Eufaula (105,000 acres); Lake Texoma is second (88,000 acres) both managed by the US Corps of Engineers. The state’s largest lake in conservation storage is Texoma (2.6 million acre-feet of water); Eufaula is second (2.3 million acre-feet).
  • The deepest lake in Oklahoma is W.R. Holway Lake located in Mayes County and managed by the Grand River Dam Authority.
  • Average annual lake evaporation in Oklahoma ranges from 48 inches in the extreme east to 65 inches in the southwest, numbers that far exceed the average yearly rainfall in those areas.
  • Two Oklahoma lakes were built before statehood in 1907: Lake Talawanda (1902) & Lake Lawtonka (1905).

Jerry Bohnen