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StateThe management of Oklahoma's wetland resources includes several state partners, each with their individual and collective contribution. Several state agencies are involved in the management of Oklahoma's wetland resources. The list below includes several of the principal state partners that assist in the management of wetlands in Oklahoma. However, the list may not include every state agency that plays a role in management.
Oklahoma Biological Survey Content Coming Soon
Oklahoma Conservation Commission The Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) was apointed the lead agency for Oklahoma's Wetland Program by the state legislature in 1990. The OCC convenes the Oklahoma Wetland Work Group (OWWG) and a subset of the OWWG, the Oklahoma Wetland Technical Workgroup (OWTWG) to advance wetland management through sound science and consensus building among the state's wetlands experts. The OCC organized the OWTWG as a group with technical expertise to help develop wetland assessment tools, create wetland water quality standards, increase wetland restoration opportunities, and enhance outdoor education opportunities among a number of other activities. The OWWG includes a larger group with varied interest to assist with finalizing management goals and activities. For more information about the OCC's involvement in Oklahoma's Wetlands Program please visit the OCC Wetlands website.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission While the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has no direct wetlands regulatory role, we play an indirect role through oversite of the oil and gas industry. For a more thorough review of our role and helpful website links, please visit the Oklahoma Corporation Commission page.
Oklahoma Department of Agricuture, Food, and Forestry Content Coming Soon
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) conducts Section 401 certification reviews of projects requiring a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes a program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands. Activities in waters of the United States regulated under this program include fill for development, water resource projects (such as dams and levees), infrastructure development (such as highways and airports) and mining projects. Section 404 requires a permit before dredged or fill material may be discharged into waters of the United States, unless the activity is exempt from Section 404 regulation. ODEQ is the lead state agency that administers the Section 401 certification program in Oklahoma. The purpose of these certification reviews is to determine whether a proposed discharge will comply with Oklahoma water quality standards. For more information visit the ODEQ website.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Content Coming Soon
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation As the state agency responsible for the management of fish and wildlife, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has lead a number of wetland related activities in Oklahoma, including: Public Lands Wetland Development Projects; Wetland Development Project Renovation/Enhancement Work; Wetland Acquisition Work; Aerial Seeding of Reservoirs; Wetland Plant Inventories; Technical/Funding Assistance to Private Landowners/Other Agencies/Organizations; Wetland Education; Funding Sources for Wetland Acquisition, Restoration, and Management. For more information on ODWC wetland activities please visit the ODWC page.
Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment By State Statute, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment is the recipient of all Clean Water Act funds, with the exception of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), for the State of Oklahoma. This includes the Section 104(b)(3) funds used to develop state wetland programmatic capacity. Our office coordinates and manages the administrative requirements imposed by EPA for all the CWA grants, including the wetland grants. One hundred percent of the wetland Clean Water Act funds are passed through to the agencies/entities that carry out the work in the approved work plans.
Oklahoma Water Resources Board The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) is designated by state statute as the agency responsible for water quality standards. OWRB, in collaboration with other state and federal agencies, is currently developing wetland water quality standards. For more information on this topic please visit the OWRB standards webpage. The Lakes & Special Studies Section, within OWRB’s Water Quality Division, contributes to the Oklahoma Wetland Program through projects focused on the establishment of littoral wetlands and floating wetlands, as well as through research activities addressing wetland assessment. Past shoreline wetland projects include efforts at Lake Atoka (104b3), Stanley Draper (104b3), Lake Wister (319 and NFWF), Grand Lake (GRDA), Lake Thunderbird (319), and Lake Carl Blackwell (319). Our most recent work in the creation of vegetated, littoral wetlands took place at Fort Cobb Lake (319), where, despite severe and lengthy drought conditions throughout the project, the survival and spread of emergent aquatic plants indicate that the introduced species are likely to spread over significant portions of the lake’s littoral zones in years to come; ODWC will manage and monitor the progress of these founder colonies into the future. In another recent project, 6,400 ft² floating wetlands installed at Lake Eucha (319) were shown to remove 19.6 kg of total phosphorus per year and to provide habitat for diverse biota under conditions of high water level fluctuation in addition to their known benefit as a breakwater. Phases 1 & 2 of a study on Oxbow System Assessment and Protocol Development (104b3), conducted in partnership with OSU and the OCC, have been completed, while the final portion of the project, Phase 3, will end in fall of 2014. The Development of a Reference Condition Candidate Pool for the Oxbows of Oklahoma (104b3), a current undertaking, addresses the need to develop a better understanding of reference, or least-disturbed, condition for Oklahoma’s oxbows. For more details please visit the OWRB Lakes & Special Studies Section website.
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