Oklahoma state senators discuss the potential sale of eastern Oklahoma water. One proposal would keep the water in state, but shift it to dry western Oklahoma. They other would make it available for sale out of state, most likely north Texas.
Chickasaw Nation consultant Duane Smith says Oklahoma cannot guarantee water amounts. He says a worst case scenario would be if Oklahoma pledged X amount of water to Texas and then had an Oklahoma community in need of water in the future.
Engineer Michael Reedy with the Freese and Nichols firm says a 150 mile pipeline to north Texas would cost over $5 billion dollars to construct. Tulsa Senator Dave Rader feels that cost could easily be made up with surcharges to Texas water customers.
Rader requested the interim study.