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Association approves FY2027 budget and hears pipeline construction and water-supply updates
Summary
The Toka/Atoka Lake Reservation Association approved a $548,821 FY2027 budget and accepted an independent audit. Staff reported lake levels roughly 5½–6 feet below full pool and average pumpage at 77.8 MGD; contractors and timelines were discussed for multiple pipeline segments and pump station projects running through 2028.
The Toka/Atoka Lake Reservation Association approved its fiscal year 2027 budget of $548,821 and accepted the independent audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025 at its March 12, 2026 meeting. The board took both actions by voice motions after no substantive questions were raised.
Staff then reported on current water-supply conditions and an extensive pipeline construction program. Byron presented the lake level and pumpage report, saying rainfall from August 2025 through January 2026 totaled 12.78 inches — about nine inches below the six-month average of 21.8 inches and roughly 4.5 inches lower than the same period the prior year. Byron said the lake was about 5½ feet below normal at the end of January and measured slightly more than six feet below the full elevation of 590 in late February. For the Aug. 2025–Jan. 2026 period the system delivered 43,912 acre-feet through the pipeline, with an average daily pumpage of 77.8 million gallons per day compared with a target capacity of 80 MGD; Byron noted the system reached about 97% of pumping capacity during the reporting period and said anticipated spring rains could improve lake conditions.
Andrew Micheller provided a project update on the multi-segment pipeline. He said there are 98 miles planned in total and that about 52 miles are now in the ground — a bit over halfway complete. Multiple segments and pump station projects are under contract and underway: a 13-mile segment with Oscar Renda is wrapping up; a 15-mile Colgate–Stonewall section is finishing tunneling; work at the Stonewall and Conwell pump stations is progressing (Conwell is expected to finish in 2028); awarded sections include a 12-mile segment to Belt Construction for about $52 million and a 15-mile phase awarded to McKe for about $63 million. Micheller also said surge/intermediate facilities were awarded to Archer Western (about $41 million) with similar 2028 timelines. He previewed A79 phase 2, an outlet structure into Lake Draper that will be constructed later this year because the existing outfall cannot accommodate planned flows from the new pipeline.
Board members praised staff and noted the regional economic benefits of pipeline operations in southeast Oklahoma. With no citizens to be heard, the chair adjourned the meeting.
