Good for Another 100 Years: The Rehabilitation of Sergeant Major Creek Watershed

Sergeant Major Creek Watershed is one of the oldest projects in the Washita River Basin in western Oklahoma. The Washita River Basin is one of the original eleven watersheds in the nation authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944 (Public Law - 78-534). Since 1948, local watershed project sponsors, assisted by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), have constructed 1,140 upstream flood control dams in the Washita River Basin. Many of these dams are now reaching the end of their 50-year design life. Many have significant rehabilitation needs. Some dams pose a threat to the public health and safety of community residents while others have potential for creating adverse environmental impacts in downstream floodplains that have been protected by the dams for the past 50 years. Action is needed to rehabilitate these dams so they continue to provide the many community benefits for another 100 years. In 1998, the Sergeant Major Creek Watershed was selected as a national pilot rehabilitation project. This watershed includes six upstream dams that provide flood control to downstream agricultural areas and the town of Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Planning of the rehabilitation project has been completed. Designs have been completed for rehabilitation of two of the older flood control dams. Reconstruction of one of the dams is complete, and construction has begun on the second dam. The Sergeant Major Creek Rehabilitation Project is a good example of the typical needs that exist in many of the more than 2,000 watershed projects nationwide. Many of these projects are now in a far different setting than when they were originally constructed. Population has grown, downstream development has occurred, land use changes have taken place, sediment pools are filling, structure components have deteriorated, and state dam safety regulations have changed since the dams were originally constructed. This paper will describe the background of the Sergeant Major Creek Rehabilitation Project, the rehabilitation planning process used, the design of upgrading two of the dams, and the concurrent locally-led planning process used to address other resource needs in the watershed. Recommendations for future rehabilitation projects are also included.