The U.S. Geological Survey has approved about $6 million for a multi-year analysis of the Red River watershed basin.
The study will calculate the quantity and quality of water flows along the entire upper, middle and lower Red River and throughout the entire 65,590 square-mile watershed basin. The river forms much of the border between Oklahoma and Texas but also flows through parts of Arkansas and Louisiana.
Officials say the findings of the proposed study should help all four states practice water management and ecological protection, especially during years of recurring droughts.
Previous surveys were conducted in the early 1970s. A Red River Compact finalized in 1980 and approved by Congress apportions among the four states an equitable share of the waters in the Red River and its many tributaries.
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