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Conservation Commission seeks repair funds for flood‑control dams, expands cedar‑eradication and unpaved‑roads programs
Summary
Trey Lam, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, told the subcommittee the state manages 2,107 flood‑control dams and requested $3 million for large dam repairs, $2.1 million to expand cedar‑removal work and continued funding for an unpaved‑roads program.
Trey Lam, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, told the Senate subcommittee the commission oversees 2,107 flood‑control dams across the state and outlined a series of requests and program expansions aimed at reducing wildfire risk, improving water storage and curbing erosion.
Lam told members the system of dams is a major part of Oklahoma’s public infrastructure and called it “a $2,000,000,000 infrastructure.” He said many of the structures were built decades ago and that new development below older dams has raised the number classified as high‑hazard because homes and infrastructure now lie in potential downstream flood zones.
The commission asked for three specific budget items: $3 million to fund larger dam rehabilitation projects that require significant earthwork and riprap; $2.1 million to expand the Terry Peach cedar‑eradication program into additional river basins and create brush‑free zones near communities; and continued funding of $1.1 million for the unpaved‑roads training and grant program, which pairs training for county road crews with a $75,000 grant for targeted erosion repairs. Lam said the unpaved‑roads program reduces repeated maintenance costs and helps keep bridges and county infrastructure from washing out.
Lam summarized recent drought response activity: conservation districts and commission staff implemented an emergency drought program that processed roughly 7,000 applicant practices statewide, providing water‑related work such as pond cleanouts, well drilling and livestock watering infrastructure. He said the program deployed about $30 million in state funds and about $14 million in private or producer funds.
Lam highlighted the commission’s soil‑health efforts and credited voluntary producer adoption with measurable water‑quality improvements. He said the state ranks among the national leaders in phosphorus and nitrogen removal from monitored streams, and the commission has helped restore more than 100 impaired stream segments to compliance through conservation practices paired with monitoring and technical assistance.
On the Terry Peach cedar project, Lam said removing encroaching woody species (eastern red cedar, salt cedar, mesquite in the southwest) improves rangeland forage production, reduces wildfire risk and increases stream and spring flows. He described demonstration research at the Bookout Ranch in Woodward County where removal and subsequent management showed increases in grass production and spring flows.
Lam also requested a 5% personnel market adjustment to help the commission retain staff after recent inflationary pressures and to reduce turnover among district and commission employees who deliver locally administered programs.
Ending: The commission said it will provide mapping and project lists to help the committee prioritize dam repairs and cedar‑removal funds; Lam emphasized the potential economic return of restored rangelands and reduced wildfire and flood costs.
