The State of Oklahoma currently has over 7,500 stream miles that are listed on 303(d) list for both E. coli and enterococci for impairment per the 2018 Integrated Report from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and Water Resources Board (OWRB). Recently, state resources needed to routinely monitor streams for bacteria have been limited, thus impairment status is unknown for many of the listed streams. The Oklahoma Water Survey is working in conjunction with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to routinely monitor impaired stream sites in selected regions.
The Oklahoma Water Survey (OWS) sampled 23 streams in the 2018 recreational season that are listed on the 303(d) impaired list, and 21 streams in 2019 (data available for download below Fig. 1) as determined by the State of Oklahoma Primary Body Contact Recreation (PBCR) beneficial use, for both E. coli and enterococci ten times during the recreational season (May 1 – September 30). Impairment criteria for PBCR is determined by calculating a geometric mean of a minimum of ten (10) samples, and attained E. coli does not exceed 126 colonies/100mL, or enterococci does not exceed 33 colonies/100mL. The selected stream sampling locations coincide with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s (OCC) statewide rotating basin monitoring program for wadeable smaller-order streams (Figure 1). Monitoring work will provide necessary data to determine impairment status of 303(d)-listed streams, and potentially remove some streams from impaired status. The OWS continues to sample approximately 20-25 streams in the each recreation season in continuation and support of assessing impairment status in legacy stream sites. For more information regarding the data or project, please contact us!
Figure 1. Oklahoma Conservation Commission Rotating Basin Monitoring Program Map.
The OWRB provides a contour map of the data (pdf). The ODEQ provides a searchable, zoomable map of the contour data.
“Treatable water” in Oklahoma is subsurface water in its natural state, useful or potentially useful for drinking water for human consumption, domestic livestock, irrigation, industrial, municipal, and recreational purposes, and which will support aquatic life, and contains less than 10,000 mg/liter total dissolved solids or less than 5,000 ppm chlorides. Treatable water includes, but is not limited to, fresh water (pdf). The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has identified three Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan basins as likely candidates for increased reliance on marginal quality water supplies for nonpotable use.
Mesonet data consist of 120 monitoring stations across Oklahoma, with at least 1 station in each of the 77 counties. Monitoring stations are designed to measure the environment at the size and duration of mesoscale weather events. Monitoring includes precipitation, dewpoint temperature, relative humidity, air temperature, wind, solar radiation and GOES satellite, barometric pressure, and soil moisture. Historical data can also be requested under “past data and files” tab.
The PRISM Climate Group gathers climate observations from a wide range of monitoring networks, applies sophisticated quality control measures, and develops spatial climate datasets to reveal short- and long-term climate patterns. The resulting datasets incorporate a variety of modeling techniques and are available at multiple spatial/temporal resolutions, covering the period from 1895 to the present.
These water levels are continuously collected by the OWRB as part of their groundwater studies program (at least hourly) from wells in various aquifers throughout the state for various periods.
Data is available from the map viewer and are collected by the OWRB as part of their Groundwater Monitoring and Assessment Program. Well sites are shown across the state. Click a site and a pop-up window opens where you can select ‘more info’ for the water level data that downloads a table of water-level data by date for that site. If you want to batch download multiple sites, select the ‘layer list’ tab in the top left corner, then select the three dots ‘…’ to the right of the dataset named GMAP Water Level Wells and specify ‘View in Attribute Table’. This will open a table of sites that are visible on the map viewer. You must click each url for each site under the ‘Water Level Data’ column to access the water level data by date for each site.
The USGS provides current (~40 sites) and historical (~70 sites) water-level data for well/test hole sites in Oklahoma. Manual measurements of water levels are also provided for ~20,500 sites.
The Oklahoma Climatological Survey records hourly groundwater level data at nine of its Mesonet stations across the state. Recorders are maintained by OWRB.
View Lake level data. Click on a basin to zoom into view, then click on a site to access the reservoir home page. Under ‘Links for more information’, you can access hourly data for this reservoir for the current day, or you can access monthly charts of available reservoir daily data for pool elevation, storage, releases, evaporation, inflow, and rainfall.
Map of streamflow gages and lake level gages (USGS, USACE, and OWRB gages). Click each site and select ‘more info’ on the Data url to access streamflow and lake level data.
| Red | Magenta | Yellow | Green | Blue | Dark Blue | Black | White |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | <10 | 10-24 | 25-75 | 76-90 | >90 | High | Not-Rated |
The USGS provides current (~200 sites) and historical (~250 sites) streamflow data for gaged sites in Oklahoma. Manual measurements of streamflow and gage height are also provided for ~950 sites.
Map of streamflow gages and lake level gages (USGS, USACE, and OWRB gages). Click each site and select ‘more info’ on the Data url to access streamflow and lake level data.
Allows you to search and retrieve selected data from the Permit Compliance System (PCS) and Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) databases in Envirofacts regarding facilities registered with the federal enforcement and compliance (FE&C) and holding National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit number, geographic location, facility industrial classification, and chemicals.
ODEQ NPDES provides sites for which a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is permitted to release and the permitted amount is provided. Actual release amount is not provided at this link. Click the ‘layers’ tab, then select ‘Water Data’ and select ‘NPDES Discharges’, then select the dropdown arrow to select ‘Open Attribute Table”. You can download a list of sites with facilities numbers and permitted amounts.
Surface water data and groundwater data are collected by the OWRB for the Beneficial Use Monitoring Program, which plays an essential role in the state's water quality management decision-making process by helping to identify waters experiencing impairments as well as the cause of declining water quality.
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Water Quality Division is responsible for identifying waters impaired by nonpoint source pollution, which is pollution that comes from multiple sources, such as pesticides, fertilizers, sediment, and animal waste. Click a site on the map for a summary of the information collected on that particular stream.
Oklahoma’s Blue Thumb Program is a statewide citizen science program that trains volunteers to monitor creeks and streams and share their knowledge of water quality with others. Click a site on the map to access links to download data and written reports for site.
The USGS provides current (~20 sites) and historical (~20 sites) water-level data for sites in Oklahoma. Field and laboratory measurements of water quality parameters are also provided for ~9,000 sites. A tutorial for navigating the database is available.
The EPA created the Storage and Retrieval (STORET) database to provide a public repository of water quality data. With the use of the Water Quality Exchange (WQX) data format, data are now easily shared with 400 federal, state, tribal and other partners through the Water Quality Portal as a single access point for over 300 million water quality data records.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is the agency that appropriates the use of stream water and groundwater in Oklahoma. Permits must be obtained from the OWRB for all uses of water in Oklahoma, with the exception of domestic use. The OWRB does not provide online access to reported water use data, however, water rights data can be accessed/viewed here.
Oklahoma water-use data are reported by source (surface water or groundwater, fresh and saline, and total), category, and area type (county). These data are compiled in cooperation with the state reporting agency (OWRB) and are retrievable for the years 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015.
Oklahoma water-use data are reported by source (surface water or groundwater, fresh and saline, and total), category, and area type (county). These data are compiled in cooperation with the state reporting agency (OWRB) and are retrievable for the years 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015.
The USFWS maintains a Wetlands Mapper as part of the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). Data is available for download by state as a geodatabase or shapefile. OCC and OSU have updated the NWI maps for a few high-density areas across the state. Shapefiles are also available for download.
