Center for Water Literacy

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Center for Water Literacy Sustainability(CWLS)

• An Educational and Research Forum for the
  Sustainable Development, Preservation, and
  Conservation of Water Resources and their
  Biodiversity

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Vision Statement

• To establish an inter-institutional,
  inter-disciplinary center for the purpose of
  providing a holistic educational and research
  foundation for the sustainable use, development,
  and preservation of Oklahomas water resources
  and conservation of aquatic biodiversity.

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Numerous Ecoregions --gt High biodiversity --gt
central role for water
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Oklahoma Climatological Survey (http//earthstorm.
ocs.ou.edu/materials/graphics.php)
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1 million gallons per day 1,122 acre-feet per
year
http//ok.water.usgs.gov/
Data from 2001
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Oklahoma Water Use in 1995 by Category and
Source, in Millions of Gallons per Day
In 2000, the State of Oklahoma used 1.8 BILLION
gallons of water per day! Thats 485 gallons per
day per capita.
http//ok.water.usgs.gov/
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Note domestic (household consumption) in U.S.
148 gal daily per capita.
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Two main foci

• Holistic Educational Development
• Undergraduate curriculum
• Graduate curriculum
• K-20 Outreach
• Teacher Education
• Inter-disciplinary Research
• Sustainable use and development
• Preservation of water resources
• Conservation of aquatic biodiversity

Ultimately --gt Increase Water Literacy and
thereby inform public policy
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Possible Partnerships

• OU, OSU, TU (other colleges, universities,
  community colleges)
• Oklahoma Tribal Governments
• Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB)
• Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute
  (OWRRI)
• Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
  (ODWC)
• Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC)
• Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
  (ODEQ)
• Oklahoma Biological Survey (OBS)
• Oklahoma State Dept. of Education
• National Weather Center (NWC)/NSSL/NOAA
• USGS, USFS, USDA, EPA, US Corp of Eng.,
• Others?