Water and water rights; removing certain meter use requirement; authorizing certain allocation; requiring certain certification. Effective date.

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ENGROSSED SENATE
BILL NO. 1928 By: Murdock of the Senate

and

Moore of the House

An Act relating to water and water rights; amending
82 O.S. 2021, Section 1020.19, which relates to
metering of wells; removing certain meter use
requirement; authorizing the Oklahoma Water Resources
Board to implement certain allocation to encourage
conservation after certain date; specifying
requirements for participation; prohibiting excessive
use; requiring development of certain voluntary
groundwater use measurement program; requiring
issuance of annual certification; requiring
submission of certain certification with annual water
use report; exempting certain wells from provisions;
and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 82 O.S. 2021, Section 1020.19, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1020.19. Upon request of a majority of the landowners
residing within a basin or subbasin, the Board is authorized to
require that water wells be metered and that such meters as the
Board shall approve be utilized by the applicant and placed under
seal, subject to reading by the agents of the Board at any time.
The Board may also require that the applicant report the reading of
such meters at reasonable intervals.

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A. To encourage groundwater conservation, beginning January 1,
2027, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board shall provide a five-year
flex allocation of groundwater usage based off the previously
determined allocated annual use of the basin or subbasin. A five-
year flex allocation shall not require a new permit for existing
permit holders. A five-year flex allocation shall be available for:
1. Existing permit holders for groundwater use permits in
basins or subbasins, based upon the maximum annual yield
determination at the time of the original application;
2. New applicants for groundwater use permits in basins or
subbasins based upon the current maximum annual yield determination;
and
3. New and existing applicants and temporary permit holders for
groundwater use permits in basins or subbasins where the maximum
annual yield has yet to be determined.
B. An applicant for a five-year flex allocation shall be
required to:
1. Submit an annual usage report of the prior year’s usage from
a Board-approved water measurement system; and
2. Pay the annual groundwater permit fee.
C. A five-year flex allocation shall allow the permit holder to
exceed the determined annual allocation in any year of the five-year
allocation; provided, that the applicant shall adhere to the
cumulative annually determined allocation of the basin or subbasin

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over the five-year period. The permit holder shall not exceed the
permitted annual allocation by over one hundred fifty percent (150%)
in any of the five (5) years.
D. 1. For all permit holders not participating in the five-
year flex allocation pursuant to this section, a groundwater
irrigation district created pursuant to the Groundwater Irrigation
District Act or a conservation district participating in a
conservation cost-share program pursuant to Section 3-3-101 et seq.
of Title 27A of the Oklahoma Statutes shall develop a voluntary
groundwater use measurement program that provides Board-approved
measuring systems to members, on a loan or cost-share basis, for use
in verifying the volume of water pumped from wells and irrigation
systems to ensure system efficiency and proper accounting of water
use.
2. The groundwater irrigation district or conservation district
shall issue an annual certification that the permit holder has
participated in the groundwater use measurement program pursuant to
paragraph 1 of this subsection. The certification shall be
submitted with the permit holder’s annual water use report.
E. Nothing in this section shall apply to domestic wells.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

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Passed the Senate the 25th day of March, 2026.

Presiding Officer of the Senate

Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________,
2026.

Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives