For immediate release: 2/26/08

GRDA dismissed from water rights suit

Vinita -- Grand River Dam Authority officials say they are very pleased with Monday's favorable court ruling, dismissing the agency from a lawsuit challenging GRDA's jurisdiction of the waters of the Grand River.

The suit was filed in 2007 by some of GRDA's commercial raw water customers, who sought to prevent the agency from selling them water from Fort Gibson Lake, located on the Grand River in Northeast Oklahoma. Plaintiffs were also seeking restitution from GRDA, for water sales the agency had been making to the plaintiffs since the lake was first constructed in the early 1960s.

Monday's ruling by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma ruled that GRDA and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (also named in the suit) were immune from the suit in federal court.

"We are very pleased with this ruling," said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Kevin Easley. "This agency's foundational responsibilities are built on the jurisdiction of the waters of the Grand River. The dismissal of this lawsuit helps to reinforce that position and will also allow us to protect the interests of our customers and the state of Oklahoma."