The ACOG Water Resources Division helps local governments to maximize the use of their ground and surface water resources. This includes planning, management, protection, and research of water quality and supplies.

The Garber-Wellington Association Policy Committee (GWAPC) is an association of the local governments who benefit from developing the resources of the Garber-Wellington aquifer and the alluvial aquifer systems. Over twenty municipalities produce water from the Garber-Wellington aquifer with a total production rate of roughly 5 billion gallons annually. The GWAPC implements programs and policies dedicated to groundwater resources and management.

Garber-Wellington Association Policy Committee Boundary Map

The ACOG Water Resources Division releases a monthly Drought Report which showcases several different drought metrics and current water storage capacity of several Central Oklahoma reservoirs.

Central Oklahoma Groundwater

Groundwater is water located beneath the earths surface in pore spaces and fractures of rock formations. In Central Oklahoma, the major bedrock aquifer is the Garber-Wellington aquifer, a subset of the larger Central Oklahoma Aquifer system. The aquifer is named after the two rock formations that the groundwater flows through: the Lower Permian-age Garber Sandstone and the Wellington Formation.  Depth to water varies from less than 100 feet to 350 feet; saturated thickness ranges from 150 to 650 feet. Non-domestic wells completed in the aquifer can yield as much as 600 gallons per minute (gpm) but generally yield from 200 to 400 gpm.

Surface Water Modeling and the 208 Plan

As part of the goals of the Water Resources Division, the use of surface water for the municipalities is also a concern.  Together with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), the Water Resource Division participates in surface water quality modeling to help members determine the water quality and quantity of effluent from the municipal treatment plants.  This is generally known as the 208 Plan.  These models include WASP models of the Canadian River and QUAL-TX models of other rivers and streams in the ACOG area.