Photograph of the Water Department, City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. Employee Tom McBride turns a valve in settling the basin at the water plant. Before the grassland conservation program was applied in the watershed of Shawnee Lake and the water was full of soil from abandoned fields, settling basins had to be cleaned every two weeks. Now they are cleaned on an average of every 2½ months. The basins hold 750,000 gallons of water. When [unclear] are cleaned, the city loses not only all the water but all the chlorine that has been added. OK-10, 803.

Photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Bowen going over their accounts. OK-10, 826.

Photograph of watershed treatment. Roland Lee, WUC [= Work Unit Conservationist], in 1951 developed a plan between the city of Shawnee and the local SCD [= Soil Conservation District] for the conservation treatment of the City Lake watershed to control erosion and reduce the silt load of streams feeding the City Lake. Water was diverted from this active gully on Class VII land. This gully was not seeded. Mr. Lee points out the slow growth and absence of vegetation when left to natural means. Note recovery of native grass between gullies resulting from deferred grazing and protection from fire. OK-365-12.

Photograph of Roland Lee, UWC, in 1951 developing a plan between the City of Shawnee and the Shawnee SCD to treat the City Lake Watershed to control erosion and reduce the silt load of streams feeding the lake. M.D. Gamble, Agronomist, SCS, checks conservation treatment of this large, once active gully. Water was diverted from gully and it was making a good seed crop, controlling erosion and furnishing food and cover for wildlife. This area is also protected from fire and grazing. The application of this Soil Conservation District Plan is now saving the City of Shawnee many dollars on water filtration and guarantees storage capacity of this water system for many years to come.