groundwater levels

Pencia Truhan, who lives near the Oklahoma City–Yukon city limits, stands beside the natural, spring-fed pond bordering her property on June 27, 2026. She says the pond has dried up before and worries the proposed data center could affect both the pond and the well water her family and animals rely on.

A loophole leaves Oklahoma data center water consumption largely untracked

While a new state law partly limits data center groundwater use, in reality, data centers avoid water permits entirely by buying water from utilities. Residents are demanding answers in communities like Luther and Yukon.

Rancher and water advocate Gary Greene owns land near Pennington Creek.

Science Technology and Environment

Concerned About Water Supply, Oklahoma Community Takes Action Against Mines

Logan Layden

Pennington Creek in south-central Oklahoma is the only source of drinking water for the town of Tishomingo. Residents there are worried limestone mining…

Program Preview

Reveal: High and Dry - A Deep Dive Into the Water Crisis

Julia B. Chan

From the parched California coast to soaring water bills in New York, this episode of Reveal takes an in-depth look at water issues around the…

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River flood Clarksville, MO in 2008. One idea for solving the West's water shortage is to pump water from the flooding Mississippi to drought-stricken areas. (eagle102.net/Flickr)

Science Technology and Environment

Could A Cross-Country Pipeline Solve The West's Water Shortage?

One solution for solving the West's water shortage is to build a pipeline to divert Mississippi River flood waters.

Saturated thickness map of Ogallala Aquifer with Keystone XL route layered.

Weather and Climate

High Plains Aquifer Groundwater Declining

Associated Press

The U.S. Geological Survey says groundwater levels are declining in an aquifer that serves parts of Oklahoma and seven other states.The USGS has released…