The expansion would include installing 15 miles of water line to reach highly used recreational areas supplying water to both visitors and staff.

Water originating from the refuge has been subject to a boil order since early 2017 when the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality detected the presence of E. coli in the drinking water. Expanding Rural Water District #4 will alleviate that boil order and provide clean drinking water to the Visitor Center, Doris Campground, and Holy City of the Wichitas.

The draft EA is available here. The EA may also be obtained by electronic request to wmr_publiccomment@fws.gov. Comments should be mailed to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, 32 Refuge Headquarters, Indiahoma, OK 73552, or sent via email to wmr_publiccomment@fws.gov. In order to be considered, all comments must be received by 11:59 p.m., May 20, 2020.

All comments on the draft EA are considered public records. Anonymous, oral, and social media comments will not be considered. The Service will take all submissions from individuals, organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. Individual respondents may request that their names and addresses are withheld from the public record. If you wish to withhold your name and/or address, you must state that request prominently at the beginning of your comment. The Service will honor such requests to the extent allowed by law. Please note that due to public disclosure requirements, the Service, if requested, may have to make the names and addresses of those who submit written comments public.