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February 26, 2013

City considers land purchase

By Joy Hampton The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — The Norman City Council will likely convene in a closed-door executive session tonight to discuss the possible purchase of real property located south and west of Canadian Trails Park between the Canadian trails addition and the south Canadian river.

“We’ve been talking about this for a while,” Council member Tom Kovach said. “I think it’s about 77 acres that someone is offering to sell the city. It would be important because it would give us storm water access to Imhoff Creek and it’s a riverside plot of land, which is a high priority of the parks master plan.”

Another priority issue coming before the city council is a fertilizer ordinance.

“The fertilizer ordinance was a high priority in the stormwater master plan recommendations that came out in 2008,” Kovach said. “It’s something that will help make an immediate impact in water quality in Lake Thunderbird with little or no inconvenience to residences or business,” Kovach said.

Also under consideration is a modified water conservation plan by the city.

“It will allow for year-round triggers of stage three water rationing based on lake levels,” Kovach said.

If the new plan is adopted the city manager will be able to implement Stage 3 mandatory conservation when Lake Thunderbird water level drops to a water level of 1,029 feet or below or when the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District reduces the city’s lake allotment by more than 10 percent.

In addition, Stage 3 may be implemented when there is a reduction in the long-term source of water supply from Thunderbird such as a supply shortage, pumps are down, there’s a break or extensive damage to raw water line or contamination to the water supply.

Other triggers will remain in place, namely when demand exceeds the Norman Utility Authority’s capacity by greater than six million gallons per day for two consecutive days and no rain is in the forecast or if areas of the water distribution system have “reduced water pressures less than 25 psi for 24 hours or more.”

A resolution on the consent docket also expands Norman’s environmental focus of smart conservation practices for the future.

“From now on, the city will only put in drought-resistant plants in their plantings,” Kovach said.

Joy Hampton

366-3539

jhampton@

normantranscript.com

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