Editorial from "Ada Evening News" - Water is source of life
March 10th, 2010
Ada — Recently, the Oklahoma Senate Energy and Environment Committee gave unanimous approval to a proposal by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm that would strengthen existing legal protection for the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer — the proposal is to be heard on the Senate floor. (NOTE - The bill passed the full Senate unanimously and is headed to the House of Representatives. - JPG)
The Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer has been the highlight of much debate, testing and regulations.
A five-year study released in summer 2009 showed the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer could not have supported the large-scale transfers of water as the latest threat to the water source proposed.
Mining interests attempted to pass a law moving regulation of pit water from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to the Department of Mines.
When the law failed, a company that owns one of the open pit mines tried another tactic — a lawsuit — and won. However, the court said the Legislature could revisit the statute, which is what Gumm’s Senate bill does.
Gumm said the bill is intended to protect the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer and prevent unintended consequences that could alter the quality of “this irreplaceable natural resource.”
And irreplaceable it is. Water is the very thing life needs to survive. It is the very thing communities need to thrive. Gumm said it best: “The Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer is nothing less than the spring of life for many communities in my district.”
Our source of water should be protected, now and for generations to come. Altering the source of water for communities would do just that — alter life itself.
Talina Eaker - Managing Editor, Ada Evening News