[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ater has been on the minds of many in Norman recently.
A city stormwater utility initiative that, in part, would have taken measures to mitigate pollution in Lake Thunderbird, (Norman’s primary water source) was effectively drowned by 70 percent of voters during a vote on Aug. 23.
It’s not really reasonable to expect our Republican majority to impose a tax on themselves based on scientists reporting that the lake is seriously impaired. Something more compelling than that, and apparently something even more compelling than the 500-something white bass that washed ashore during the summer at Lake Thunderbird, will be required.
To be fair, there were several other problems with the proposal as written, many of which KOSU highlighted in its coverage of a contentious town hall meeting Aug. 15.
Water is also an issue now between the state of Oklahoma and the Native American sovereign nations. It’s the necessary ingredient for all life on our planet and figures into the photos in this month’s essay.
Hummingbird at sugar water feeder. (Doug Hill)
Watermelons at the Piñata Market in Oklahoma City. (Doug Hill)
Canooers on Lake Thunderbird aka Lake Dirty Bird. (Doug Hill)
Kids and dogs in the South Canadian River under the James C. Nance bridge near Purcell. (Doug Hill)
Koi swimming in garden pond. (Doug Hill)
Chicago skyline view from Chicago River. (Doug Hill)
Communal sparrow bird bath. (Doug Hill)
Norman’s 10 Mile Flats area when it is flooded. (Doug Hill)
Gassing up wave runner in Lake Thunderbird. (Doug Hill)
Area near Slaughterville still unrecovered from 2012 wildfires. (Doug Hill)
Clear Bay Beach recreation area at Lake Thunderbird. (Doug Hill)
Norman’s 10 Mile Flats area when it is not flooded. (Doug Hill)
Not even torrents of city water can save this burning home in NW Norman from being a total loss a few years ago. (Doug Hill)
Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.
