Senate Bill No. 1008 amends Section 1020.19 of the Oklahoma Statutes regarding the metering of groundwater wells. The bill mandates that all permit holders authorized to use groundwater must implement a system to measure their groundwater usage from all associated wells. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board will determine the acceptable measurement systems, which may include telemetry devices for monitoring usage. Additionally, the bill establishes that data from these measuring systems will be used for annual groundwater use reports.

To promote groundwater conservation, starting January 1, 2026, the Board will introduce a five-year flex allocation for groundwater usage based on previously determined annual allocations for basins or subbasins. This allocation will not require new permits for existing holders and will be available to both existing and new applicants. Permit holders can exceed their annual allocation within the five-year period, provided they do not exceed a cumulative limit of 200% of their permitted allocation in any single year. The bill also specifies that these provisions do not apply to domestic wells and will take effect on November 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 82-105.13