Water
In 1962, Oklahoma U.S. Senator Robert S. Kerr proclaimed water to be “our state’s most precious resource.”
Not oil, not gas, not farmland. Water.
And his generation built some of the finest water infrastructure in the country.
But now that impressive infrastructure is crumbling.
When Kerr made his comments, Oklahoma had recently come out of the worst drought on record. Now, Oklahoma faces a drought of similar proportions, but with demand far greater than what Kerr could have foreseen.
How to balance the needs of a growing population with the importance of tourism to local economies where water is plentiful will be one of the biggest issues facing the state over the next half-century.
Highlight some of the points of conflict.
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