Water Quality Division

ABOUT

The Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s Water Quality Division is responsible for protecting the state’s waters from nonpoint source pollution, which is pollution that comes from land management practices. Common nonpoint source pollutants include pesticides, fertilizers, sediment, and human and animal waste. The Division supports water quality and soil health to accomplish this goal including monitoring and assessment, education, planning and implementation programs.

NONPOINT SOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

In 1987, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially recognized that NPS pollution was impairing the nation’s waters and preventing them from meeting the “fishable and swimmable” goals of the Clean Water Act. As a result, a new section called 319 Nonpoint Source Management Programs was added to the Clean Water Act.

Based on this law, each state was required to assess their waters for NPS pollution and develop a management program that would deal with the pollution. Oklahoma designated the Oklahoma Conservation Commission as the state’s technical lead agency for the 319 Program, and so began the Oklahoma Nonpoint Source Management Program

BLUE THUMB STREAM PROTECTION

The Blue Thumb Program supports a network of volunteer citizen scientists who collect water quality data on Oklahoma streams. Blue Thumb also provides water quality education statewide.

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SOIL HEALTH

Healthy soil is the key to an abundant, affordable food supply, healthy water, and clean air.

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Water Quality Monitoring

The Oklahoma Conservation Commission is responsible for monitoring and assessing waters of Oklahoma to determine the impacts of Nonpoint Source pollution.

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PRIORITY WATERSHED PROJECTS

Many of our projects involve educating landowners about the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) and assisting them through cost-share programs to voluntarily install appropriate BMPs on their property.

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WETLANDS PROGRAM

The Conservation Commission has a variety of ongoing wetland projects to meet the goals and objects of the state strategy which are funded through the Wetlands Program of the Environmental Protection Agency Region VI. 

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WATER EDUCATION TODAY

Water Education Today is an interdisciplinary, hands-on water education program that can be used with people of all ages in a variety of educational settings.

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CARBON SEQUESTRATION CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The Oklahoma Carbon Program encourages Oklahomans to voluntarily protect water quality, prevent soil erosion, and improve air quality by adopting conservation practices that sequester or avoid emissions of greenhouse gases.

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Neighbors helping neighbors program

The Neighbors Helping Neighbors program works with poultry growers and their neighbors to address concerns related to the expansion and evolution of the poultry industry in eastern Oklahoma.

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DIVISION CALENDAR

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STREAM HEALTH MAP

This map shows the locations of streams we monitor.

PROJECT REPORTS

Documentation for project budgets, plans, staffing, quality assurance protocols, and for submitting semiannual and final project reports.

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Contact Form

Have a question we haven’t answered? Get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

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