{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-526.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 82, § 82-526.1","heading":"Ratification and adoption of Compact","body":"The State of Oklahoma does hereby ratify, approve and adopt the\n\naforesaid Compact, which is as follows:\n\nCANADIAN RIVER COMPACT\n\nThe State of New Mexico, the state of Texas, and the State of\n\nOklahoma, acting through their Commissioners, John H. Bliss for the\n\nState of New Mexico, E. V. Spence for the State of Texas, and\n\nClarence Burch for the State of Oklahoma, after negotiations\n\nparticipated in by Berkeley Johnson, appointed by the president as\n\nthe representative of the United States of America, have agreed\n\nrespecting Canadian River as follows:\n\nARTICLE I\n\nThe major purposes of this Compact are to promote interstate\n\ncomity; to remove causes of present and future controversy; to make\n\nsecure and protect present developments within the states; and to\n\nprovide for the construction of additional works for the\n\nconservation of the waters of Canadian River.\n\nARTICLE II\n\nAs used in this Compact:\n\n(a) The term \"Canadian River\" means the tributary of Arkansas\n\nRiver which rises in northeastern New Mexico and flows in an\n\neasterly direction through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma and\n\nincludes North Canadian River and all other tributaries of said\n\nCanadian River.\n\n(b) The term \"North Canadian River\" means that major tributary\n\nof Canadian River officially known as North Canadian River from its\n\nsource to its junction with Canadian River and includes all\n\ntributaries of North Canadian River.\n\n(c) The term \"Commission\" means the agency created by this\n\nCompact for the administration thereof.\n\n(d) The term \"conservation storage\" means that portion of the\n\ncapacity of reservoirs available for the storage of water for\n\nsubsequent release for domestic, municipal, irrigation and\n\nindustrial uses, or any of them, and it excludes any portion of the\n\ncapacity of reservoirs allocated solely to flood control, power\n\nproduction and sediment control, or any of them.\n\nARTICLE III\n\nAll rights to any of the waters of Canadian River which have\n\nbeen perfected by beneficial use are hereby recognized and affirmed.\n\nARTICLE IV\n\n(a) New Mexico shall have free and unrestricted use of all\n\nwaters originating in the drainage basin of Canadian River above\n\nConchas Dam.\n\n(b) New Mexico shall have free and unrestricted use of all\n\nwaters originating in the drainage basin of Canadian river in New\n\nMexico below Conchas Dam, provided that the amount of conservation\n\nstorage in New Mexico available for impounding these waters which\n\noriginate in the drainage basin of Canadian River below Conchas Dam\n\nshall be limited to an aggregate of two hundred thousand 200,000\n\nacre-feet.\n\n(c) The right of New Mexico to provide conservation storage in\n\nthe drainage basin of North Canadian River shall be limited to the\n\nstorage of such water as at the time may be unappropriated under the\n\nlaws of New Mexico and of Oklahoma.\n\nARTICLE V\n\nTexas shall have free and unrestricted use of all waters of\n\nCanadian River in Texas, subject to the limitations upon storage of\n\nwater set forth below:\n\n(a) The right of Texas to impound any of the waters of North\n\nCanadian River shall be limited to storage on tributaries of said\n\nRiver in Texas for municipal uses, for household and domestic uses,\n\nlivestock watering, and the irrigation of lands which are cultivated\n\nsolely for the purpose of providing food and feed for the households\n\nand domestic livestock actually living or kept on the property.\na) The right of Texas to impound any of the waters of North\n\nCanadian River shall be limited to storage on tributaries of said\n\nRiver in Texas for municipal uses, for household and domestic uses,\n\nlivestock watering, and the irrigation of lands which are cultivated\n\nsolely for the purpose of providing food and feed for the households\n\nand domestic livestock actually living or kept on the property.\n\n(b) Until more than three hundted thousand 300,000 acre-feet of\n\nconservation storage shall be provided in Oklahoma, exclusive of\n\nreservoirs in the drainage basin of North Canadian River and\n\nexclusive of reservoirs in the drainage basin of Canadian River east\n\nof the 97th meridian, the right of Texas to retain water in\n\nconservation storage, exclusive of waters of north Canadian River,\n\nshall be limited to five hundred thousand 500,000 acre-feet;\n\nthereafter the right of Texas to impound and retain such waters in\n\nstorage shall be limited to an aggregate quantity equal to two\n\nhundred thousand 200,000 acre-feet plus whatever amount of water\n\nshall be at the same time in conservation storage in reservoirs in\n\nthe drainage basin of Canadian River in Oklahoma, exclusive of\n\nreservoirs in the drainage basin of North Canadian River and\n\nexclusive of reservoirs east of the 97th meridian; and for the\n\npurpose of determining the amount of water in conservation storage,\n\nthe maximum quantity of water in storage following each flood or\n\nseries of floods shall be used; provided, that the right of Texas to\n\nretain and use any quantity of water previously impounded shall not\n\nbe reduced by any subsequent application of the provisions of this\n\nparagraph (b).\n\n(c) Should Texas for any reason impound any amount of water\n\ngreater than the aggregate quantity specified in paragraph (b) of\n\nthis article, such excess shall be retained in storage until under\n\nthe provisions of said paragraph Texas shall become entitled to its\n\nuse; provided, that, in event of spill from conservation storage,\n\nany such excess shall be reduced by the amount of such spill from\n\nthe most easterly reservoir on Canadian River in Texas; provided\n\nfurther, that all such excess quantities in storage shall be reduced\n\nmonthly to compensate for reservoir losses in proportion to the\n\ntotal amount of water in the reservoir or reservoirs in which such\n\nexcess water is being held; and provided further that on demand by\n\nthe Commissioner for Oklahoma the remainder of any such excess\n\nquantity of water in storage shall be released into the channel of\n\nCanadian River at the greatest rate practicable.\n\nARTICLE VI\n\nOKlahoma shall have free and unrestricted use of all waters of\n\nCanadian River in Oklahoma.\n\nARTICLE VII\n\nThe Commission may permit New Mexico to impound more water than\n\nthe amount set forth in Article IV and may permit Texas to impound\n\nmore water than the amount set forth in Article V; provided, that no\n\nstate shall thereby be deprived of water needed for beneficial use;\n\nprovided further that each such permission shall be for a limited\n\nperiod not exceeding twelve (12) months; and provided further that\n\nno state or user of water within any state shall thereby acquire any\n\nright to the continued use of any such quantity of water so\n\npermitted to be impounded.\n\nARTICLE VIII\n\nEach state shall furnish to the Commission at intervals\n\ndesignated by the Commission accurate records of the quantities of\n\nwater stored in reservoirs pertinent to the administration of this\n\nCompact.\n\nARTICLE IX\nfurther that\n\nno state or user of water within any state shall thereby acquire any\n\nright to the continued use of any such quantity of water so\n\npermitted to be impounded.\n\nARTICLE VIII\n\nEach state shall furnish to the Commission at intervals\n\ndesignated by the Commission accurate records of the quantities of\n\nwater stored in reservoirs pertinent to the administration of this\n\nCompact.\n\nARTICLE IX\n\n(a) There is hereby created an interstate administrative agency\n\nto be known as the \"Canadian River Commission.\" The Commission\n\nshall be composed of three (3) commissioners, one from each of the\n\nsignatory states, designated or appointed in accordance with the\n\nlaws of each such state, and if designated by the President an\n\nadditional Commissioner representing the United States. The\n\nPresident is hereby requested to designate such a Commissioner. If\n\nso designated, the Commissioner representing the United States shall\n\nbe the presiding officer of the Commission, but shall not have the\n\nright to vote in any of the deliberations of the Commission. All\n\nmembers of the Commission must be present to constitute a quorum. A\n\nunanimous vote of the Commissioners for the three signatory States\n\nshall be necessary to all actions taken by the Commission.\n\n(b) The salaries and personal expenses of each Commissioner\n\nshall be paid by the government which he represents. All other\n\nexpenses which are incurred by the Commission incident to the\n\nadministration of this Compact and which are not paid by the United\n\nStates shall be borne equally by the three states and be paid by the\n\nCommission out of a revolving fund hereby created to be known as the\n\n\"Canadian River Revolving Fund.\" Such fund shall be initiated and\n\nmaintained by equal payments of each state into the fund in such\n\namounts as will be necessary for administration of this Compact.\n\nDisbursements shall be made from said fund in such manner as may be\n\nauthorized by the Commission. Said fund shall not be subject to the\n\naudit and accounting procedures of the States. However, all\n\nreceipts and disbursements of funds handled by the Commission shall\n\nbe audited by a qualified independent public accountant at regular\n\nintervals and the report of the audit shall be included in and\n\nbecome a part of the annual report of the Commission.\n\n(c) The Commission may:\n\n(1) Employ such engineering, legal, clerical, and other\n\npersonnel as in its judgment may be necessary for the performance of\n\nits functions under this Compact;\n\n(2) Enter into contracts with appropriate federal agencies for\n\nthe collection, correlation, and presentation of factual data, for\n\nthe maintenance of records, and for the preparation of reports;\n\n(3) Perform all functions required of it by this Compact and do\n\nall things necessary, proper, or convenient in the performance of\n\nits duties hereunder, independently or in cooperation with\n\nappropriate governmental agencies.\n\n(d) The Commission shall:\n\n(1) Cause to be established, maintained and operated such stream\n\nand other gaging stations and evaporation stations as may from time\n\nto time be necessary for proper administration of the Compact,\n\nindependently or in co-operation with appropriate governmental\n\nagencies;\n\n(2) Make and transmit to the Governors of the signatory states\n\non or before the last day of March of each year, a report covering\n\nthe activities of the Commission for the preceding year;\n\n(3) Make available to the Governor of any signatory state, on\n\nhis request, any information within its possession at any time, and\n\nshall always provide access to its records by the Governors of the\n\nstates, or their representatives, or by authorized representatives\n\nof the United States.\n\nARTICLE X\n\nNothing in this Compact shall be construed as:\n\n(a) Affecting the obligations of the United States to the Indian\n\nTribes;\nhe Governor of any signatory state, on\n\nhis request, any information within its possession at any time, and\n\nshall always provide access to its records by the Governors of the\n\nstates, or their representatives, or by authorized representatives\n\nof the United States.\n\nARTICLE X\n\nNothing in this Compact shall be construed as:\n\n(a) Affecting the obligations of the United States to the Indian\n\nTribes;\n\n(b) Subjecting any property of the United States, its agencies\n\nor instrumentalities, to taxation by any State or subdivision\n\nthereof, or creating any obligation on the part of the United\n\nStates, its agencies or instrumentalities, by reason of the\n\nacquisition, construction or operation of any property or works of\n\nwhatever kind, to make any payment to any State or political\n\nsubdivision thereof, state agency, municipality or entity\n\nwhatsoever, in reimbursement for the loss of taxes;\n\n(c) Subjecting any property of the United States, its agencies\n\nor instrumentalities, to the laws of any State to an extent other\n\nthan the extent to which such laws would apply without regard to\n\nthis Compact;\n\n(d) Applying to, or interfering with, the right or power of any\n\nsignatory State to regulate within its boundaries the appropriation,\n\nuse and control of water, not inconsistent with its obligations\n\nunder this Compact;\n\n(e) Establishing any general principle or precedent applicable\n\nto other interstate streams.\n\nARTICLE XI\n\nThis Compact shall become binding and obligatory when it shall\n\nhave been ratified by the Legislature of each state and approved by\n\nthe Congress of the United States. Notice of ratification by the\n\nLegislature of each state shall be given by the Governor of that\n\nstate to the Governors of the other states and to the President of\n\nthe United States. The President is hereby requested to give notice\n\nto the Governor of each state of approval by the Congress of the\n\nUnited States.\n\nIn Witness Whereof, the Commissioners have executed four\n\ncounterparts hereof, each of which shall be and constitute an\n\noriginal, one of which shall be deposited in the archives of the\n\nDepartment of State of the United States, and one of which shall be\n\nforwarded to the Governor of each state.\n\nDONE at the City of Santa Fe, State of New Mexico, this 6th day\n\nof December, 1950.\n\n/s/ JOHN H. BLISS\n\nJohn H. Bliss\n\nCommissioner for the State of\n\nNew Mexico\n\n/s/ E. V. SPENCE\n\nE. V. Spence\n\nCommissioner for the State of\n\nTexas\n\n/s/ CLARENCE BURCH\n\nClarence Burch\n\nCommissioner for the State of\n\nOklahoma\n\nApproved:\n\n/s/ BERKELEY JOHNSON\n\nBerkeley Johnson\n\nRepresentative of the United\n\nStates of America.","path":["OK Code","Title 82"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os82.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"b75dfcb693befb85daad3ee74d7632f9695f334969a934d4ee0b72f4f2b015eb","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-521","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-526.2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}