Oklahoma City is set to release just over 5.2 billion gallons of water from Canton Lake starting Thursday, a release intended to replenish Lake Hefner during one of the driest, hottest stretches the region has seen in years. The water will begin its journey down the North Canadian River Thursday, with officials expecting the first signs of it to reach Lake Hefner within three to five days and the full release to wrap up in about two weeks.
The release amounts to 16,000 acre-feet of water, according to oklahoman.com, which reports the move should lower Canton Lake by about three-and-a-half feet while raising Lake Hefner's level by slightly more than four feet. Lake Hefner, described by the outlet as a primary water source for Oklahoma City, has been shedding water fast this summer as heat and dry weather took their toll. The News 9 report on the release detailed the 5.2 billion gallon figure now driving coverage of the effort.
Numbers from a separate outlet paint a stark picture of just how quickly the lake has been dropping. Freepressokc.com reports that Lake Hefner's level fell more than two feet in the roughly five weeks since Aug. 11 alone, and by more than five feet since July 11 — a rapid decline blamed squarely on dry conditions.
Exceptional Drought Grips the Source Lake
Canton Lake sits northwest of the Oklahoma City metro in Blaine and Dewey counties, and the drought squeezing the region isn't a minor one. Freepressokc.com reports that both Blaine and Dewey counties are currently classified as experiencing exceptional drought, the highest designation tracked by the National Integrated Drought Information System.
The city's water utility isn't managing this alone. The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust is coordinating the release with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Canton Lake Advisory Committee, and other state and local partners, weighing potential effects on Canton Lake's recreation and wildlife as the drawdown proceeds. The trust holds water-storage rights at Canton Lake that allow it to request releases like this one.
Not the First Time OKC Has Turned to Canton Lake
This isn't new territory for Oklahoma City's water planners. The most recent release before this one came in October 2024, when officials sent 16,000 acre-feet downstream, an operation okcfox.com reported.
Further back, the city pulled a much larger 30,000-acre-foot release during the statewide drought of 2013. That 2013 draw, per freepressokc.com, eventually left Canton Lake 13 feet below normal. Kgou.org also covered the draw — a reminder of the tradeoffs baked into keeping a growing metro's taps running during dry years.
