They Haven’t Had Water For Years. An Influential Republican Politician May Be To Blame

Residents of Cedar Lake, a small gated community about 50 miles west of Oklahoma City, say their water has been vanishing for years, and some point to a dam on land managed by former Oklahoma Secretary of State Glenn Coffee. Daily Caller reports that Coffee, a lawyer and longtime figure in state Republican politics, has not responded to requests for comment. Residents allege that what the site calls Coffee Dam No. 6 holds back streamflow meant for their reservoir.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board investigated after an anonymous complaint in May 2025. Its staff could not conclude that the lower lake levels stem from the upstream dams, citing drought, an overtaxed aquifer and the original club's expectation of weak streamflow. A consent order approved in September directs Coffee to seek permits for several dams but leaves the lake's troubles unresolved. Hydrologist Carol Becker reached the opposite view in a July report, naming two upstream dams as the main cause. Her survey of 63 residents found 20 wells fully or seasonally dry, and 34 of 35 respondents dated their problems to after 2021. The board says the dam went up in 2019.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →