In the 1950’s and 60’s, Oklahoma went on a dam-building frenzy. Nearly every major stream in the state (and some smaller ones too) was impounded and converted from a river to a series of lakes connected by leftover waterways. Only one river remains free-flowing and relatively undeveloped for its entire length – the Glover River in southeast Oklahoma. Thirsty Texans have taken notice and proposals to transfer water to growing suburbs to the south have been fended off in recent years. Flowing through McCurtain County and the Ouachita National Forest, the Glover is all that’s left. And it highly deserves protection.
Two bills would take different paths to accomplish that and Sierra Club supported both approaches. Unfortunately, neither was ultimately successful.
HB 3636 started as a simple prohibition on dam construction along the Glover River, but it didn’t restrict water transfers. When it got to the Senate, it was re-written in committee to create a program that would study the value of instream flow protection for the Glover and 2 other nearby rivers. The re-written bill offered no actual protection. It was never taken up by the full Senate and died.
SB 1585 took a more comprehensive approach. It would establish a new designation called “heritage river” and give that protection to the Glover. Dam building and water transfers would be prohibited. SB 1585 was originally called the Charlette Hearne Heritage River Act, named after a local water activist. After it passed the Senate, it was gutted in the House and renamed for a recently-deceased local entrepreneur. The House version prohibited dam construction but nothing else. The Senate never took up the House changes and the bill died.