News

Did you know…

Feb 03, 2021

A grand mission … An aerial view of GRDA’s Pensacola Dam and Grand Lake. GRDA manages some of the most popular waterways in Oklahoma.

Power for Progress… a weekly column from the Grand River Dam Authority.

Did you know the Grand River Dam Authority is second only to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) in jurisdiction over state water resources? It’s true, at no cost to Oklahoma tax payers, GRDA lakes also provide storage and water supply for 50 Oklahoma water districts and municipals systems in our state. Meanwhile, these waters serve as the foundation for a thriving tourism and recreation industry.

When GRDA absorbed the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission (OSRC) in July of 2016, responsibilities over state waters expanded even more, to include the scenic Illinois River. Today (again, at no cost to Oklahoma tax payers), GRDA is providing lake and river security, promoting user safety, practicing proper stewardship and resource management and doing its part to protect the natural resources under its control, all along some of Oklahoma’s most popular waterways.

Meanwhile, the hydroelectric facilities that created these lakes (Pensacola Dam and Robert S. Kerr Dam) continue to play an important role in GRDA’s overall electricity production portfolio. Today, that diverse portfolio includes hydro, coal, gas and even wind generation assets that are producing electricity for thousands of Oklahomans, while also reaching into the four-state region. More directly, 15 GRDA municipal customer communities in Oklahoma, as well as the industries within the MidAmerica Industrial Park, depend on that electricity 24/7/365.

Those relationships and the overall mission of GRDA are what drive our workforce of 500-plus Oklahomans on a daily basis. Team GRDA is working everyday to produce power, promote economic development and protect natural resources, while always striving for new efficiencies. That has been the GRDA mission for over 80 years.

GRDA is Oklahoma’s largest public power utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales, instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency.