SB 1008: Water and water rights; metering of wells; requiring all permit holders to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to implement certain allocation to encourage conservation after certain date. Effective date. - Oklahoma

SB1008 (3-04-25) (MURDOCK) FA1.PDF → Floor (Senate) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace a proposed removal of a subsection with a comprehensive new section establishing groundwater metering requirements and a five-year flexible allocation system. The changes add specific operational requirements for water wells, define how flexible allocations work, and set a new effective date for the legislation.

Scope change

The bill now applies to all permit holders authorized to take and use groundwater, with specific exemptions for domestic wells, and introduces a new five-year flexible allocation mechanism for existing and new permit holders.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory groundwater metering requirements for all permit holders, including telemetry devices capable of reporting usage, with data to be used for annual reports.

TIMELINE

Established a five-year flexible allocation system beginning January 1, 2026, allowing permit holders to exceed annual allocations while adhering to cumulative basin limits.

Set the effective date of the act to November 1, 2025.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions requiring measuring systems to be in proper operating conditions at all times when groundwater is being produced.

ELIGIBILITY

Defined eligibility for flexible allocations across three categories: existing permit holders, new applicants, and temporary permit holders in basins without maximum yield determinations.

EXEMPTIONS

Explicitly exempted domestic wells from the new metering and allocation requirements.

Committee Substitute → SB1008 (3-04-25) (MURDOCK) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the requirement for metering groundwater wells, which was a key provision in the original version. This significantly reduces regulatory oversight on water usage. The amendment also removed the detailed requirements for a five-year flexible allocation system that was included in the committee substitute version.

Scope change

The bill's scope was reduced by eliminating mandatory metering requirements and the detailed five-year flexible allocation framework that was previously included.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement that all groundwater permit holders must use approved water measurement systems and report usage data.

Eliminated the specific reporting and fee requirements that were tied to obtaining the five-year flexible allocation.

TIMELINE

Removed the provision establishing a five-year flexible allocation system starting January 1, 2026, which would have allowed permit holders to exceed annual allocations under certain conditions.

Introduced → Committee Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

SB 1008 was amended from a version focusing on surface water permits and soil moisture assessments to a new Committee Substitute version that shifts focus to groundwater metering requirements, conservation allocations, and well exemptions. The revised bill now requires groundwater permit holders to implement measurement systems, establishes a five-year flexible allocation for conservation starting in 2026, and exempts domestic wells from these requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from primarily addressing surface water permits and soil moisture monitoring to focusing on groundwater use, metering requirements, and conservation-based allocation systems.

SCOPE

Changed focus from surface water permits and soil moisture assessments to groundwater metering and conservation allocations.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for all groundwater permit holders to implement approved measurement systems for tracking water usage.

TIMELINE

Established a five-year flexible groundwater allocation system beginning January 1, 2026, allowing permit holders to exceed annual allocations while maintaining cumulative limits.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility criteria for five-year flex allocations including existing permit holders, new applicants, and temporary permit holders based on basin yield determinations.

EXEMPTIONS

Added explicit exemption for domestic wells from the new groundwater metering and allocation requirements.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed enforcement from administrative summary grants for provisional permits to annual reporting requirements and measurement system compliance.

Water and water rights; metering of wells; requiring all permit holders to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to implement certain allocation to encourage conservation after certain date. Effective date.

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