Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor Anoatubby’s keynote address emphasizes collaboration at Oka’ Institute
This article appeared in the December 2023 edition of the Chickasaw Times
The word heard most frequently at this year’s Oka' Institute conference was “collaboration.” It highlighted the importance of all community partners working together on a strategy to resolve area water issues.
It was also a central theme in Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor Chris Anoatubby’s keynote address at the Oka’ Con 2023 Water Sustainability Conference conducted recently at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.
Lt. Governor Anoatubby used a harmonious musical illustration from his father, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby, to drive the point home.
“Governor Anoatubby makes this statement about working in harmony – when you have multiple people singing in a chorus, a choir, they’re singing the same song, but they may be playing different notes. On these particular projects there has been a lot of harmony, a lot of working together. It’s turned out to be a beautiful thing,” Lt. Governor Anoatubby said.
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said ensuring the longevity of water and natural resources has been a true team effort involving planning, policymaking and partnership cultivation.
“Over the years, we have established departments, employed experts and worked with communities and a wide variety of government agencies to reach our mutual goals,” he said.
One of the results has been the creation of the Chickasaw Nation Department of Natural Resources in 2018 as a way of ensuring a sustainable water future for the Chickasaw people and surrounding communities.
He said the Chickasaw Nation has worked with the Choctaw Nation and the state of Oklahoma to ensure every community involved has sustainable, high-quality water.
“Our natural resource office also works with local landowners on developing best land management practices for the health of local watersheds and develops analytical tools for evaluating the health of local waterways.”
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said Chickasaw Nation Environmental Services was established in 2008, with a primary focus on safeguarding citizens and addressing environmental issues that may adversely affect both current and future generations.
“The origin of our Office of Environmental Health (OEH) is even older and tied to the Chickasaw Nation’s lengthy struggle for self-governance and the full recognition of our sovereignty,” Lt. Governor Anoatubby said.
He said OEH delivers water and wastewater services to First Americans by providing water wells or connections to existing public water supply. OEH also provides wastewater treatment and disposal with on-site systems or by establishing connections to public collection and treatment systems.
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said the city of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, the historic capital of the Chickasaw Nation, has faced daunting water challenges for decades.
“The (Tishomingo) community’s water supply was precariously dependent on conditions that are, unfortunately, beyond our control, including drought,” he said. “We began assisting Tishomingo in 2016. The city had water rights to 520 acre-feet per year of Pennington Creek water flow.
“This amounts to an average of 464,000 gallons per day. These water rights do not provide for the current demand and demands continually increase.”
The flow in Pennington Creek has been low often during the last 10 years due to extreme drought, making the community even more vulnerable since Pennington Creek has been its sole water source.
“The Tishomingo Alternative Water Supply Project was conceived and implemented to address this existential threat,” he said. “After extensive hydrological studies, the pursuit of an alternative water source led us to Corbin Ranch, north of Tishomingo. Our experts at the Office of Natural Resources navigated the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s regulatory process to secure the necessary approvals.”
The solution formulated included constructing a pipeline from the ranch to Tishomingo’s water treatment plant to supplement Pennington Creek flow as deemed necessary.
“We are working very cooperatively with People’s Electric Cooperative to ensure connectivity in anticipation of future growth and with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to obtain the necessary permits.”
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said collaboration in funding is also a key ingredient, which includes Chickasaw Nation and the state of Oklahoma’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds along with federal dollars for the Indian Health Service and funding assistance from Murray State College in Tishomingo.
“This project is rooted in collaboration, driven by data and shaped by our collective commitment to sustainable water solutions,” he said.
“Parallel to this project, we are also working to address a critical public health issue associated with Tishomingo’s wastewater treatment plant. The current facility’s infrastructural shortcomings could potentially have direct implications on public and environmental health.”
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said design of a new plant is in progress. The goal is to meet current standards as well as setting new ones for the community’s health and prosperity.
“In regard to both of these Tishomingo water projects, the theme of collaboration is more than a theoretical framework. It is a lived experience, a tangible reality with measurable outcomes. Our journey exemplifies what we can achieve when we work together for the health and well-being of our communities.”
Other water sustainability projects are also in the works for the Sulphur, Oklahoma area and easing demands on the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer.
“Overall, the Chickasaw Nation, and our offices and departments are engaged with more than a dozen communities within the Chickasaw Nation on scores of projects with a broad range of water solutions,” he said.
“I want to stress that the Chickasaw Nation is not alone in this commitment to form collaborations and find funding for water projects,” Lt. Governor Anoatubby said.
“The Choctaw Nation, Iowa Nation and Chickasaw Nation have collectively contributed more than $75 million to these projects. Altogether, federal, tribal, state and community agencies have contributed more than $200 million toward ensuring area residents have access to quality, sustainable water sources.
“One takeaway from those numbers is that Oklahoma tribes are at the forefront of funding and managing these types of projects. In that regard, this is also a matter of sovereignty and self-governance and the rights, as well as responsibilities, of tribes to deliver services within their treaty territories,” he said.
Lt. Governor Anoatubby said collaborations with those at a more grassroots level are just as important to the process of ensuring water sustainability.
“We are particularly excited about our partnerships with local landowners on projects focusing on watersheds throughout the region. Our partnership with Lake of the Arbuckles Watershed Association has been extremely successful since its formation in the fall of 2017, when Sulphur-area landowners and other local citizens united to create an ambitious grassroots plan aimed at improving the quality of water in the Lake of the Arbuckles.”