Small Watershed Projects in Oklahoma
Sign on U.S. Highway 75 at the entrance into Double Creek Watershed from the south. The six upstream detention dams constructed on the watershed were designed and constructed by the Soil Conservation Service in partnership with the Caney Calley Conservation District in Washington County, Oklahoma, May 12, 1956. Photograph from the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society Collection on the Gateway to Oklahoma History.
Today, Oklahoma leads the nation with 2,107 watershed dams in 61 counties—built under the Flood Control Act of 1944 (P.L. 78-534), the Watershed Pilot Program authorized by the Agricultural Appropriations Act of 1953 (P.L. 82-212); Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (P.L. 83-566), and the RC&D program authorized by the Food and Agriculture Act of 1962 (P.L. 87-703). These dams represent lasting investments by the American people in the public good that continue to benefit Oklahomans to the present day.
The idea behind these watershed projects is to hold the raindrop close to where it falls. Working in combination with soil conservation practices applied to the surrounding landscape, upstream dams on tributary streams capture flood waters and slowly release them downstream, preventing catastrophic damage to lives and property while creating multiple benefits: water supply, erosion control, wildlife habitat, recreation, and economic development among others.
Watershed projects represent a collaborative effort of the conservation partnership in Oklahoma. Originally constructed by the Soil Conservation Service, today known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), operation and maintenance of the dams is the responsibility of local sponsors, usually a soil conservation district and, in some cases, municipalities. This work is assisted and coordinated statewide by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
For more information about the role played by state and federal partners in the continue operations today. Visit the Oklahoma Conservation Commission: https://conservation.ok.gov/flood-control-program/ and USDA NRCS here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/.../watershed-rehabilitation...
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Want to learn more about Oklahoma's conservation history? Join the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society on our website: https://www.oklahomaconservationhistory.org/
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