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Show OKLAHOMA 607 the pollution control coordinating board, which consists of nine mem- bers representing various State departments (including the water resources board) and two members appointed by the Governor who are "knowledgeable and experienced" in environmental activities.37 The pollution control coordinating board is required to coordinate the activities of the various State departments which have responsi- bilities in environmental matters and to require the appropriate agencies to take action to correct violations of the water pollution control legislation. Enforcement of the pollution control program still rests mainly with the individual State departments, although the pollution control coordinating board now may act on its own initiative to prevent or abate pollution if five members of the board find that the State agency having jurisdiction has refused or neg- lected to take appropriate action.38 Since the composition of the board is largely made up of heads of different departments, it is unlikely that the requisite concurrence will be obtained very easily, because that would require a finding that a particular agency has been dere- lict in its duties. In addition to instituting suits through the attorney general for injunctions, criminal sanctions are provided for in the statutes, and private suits to abate pollution or suppress nuisances are preserved.39 b. OTHER PUBLIC WATER AGENCIES Oklahoma has authorized the creation of a number of special pur- pose water districts. These include irrigation districts,40 conservancy districts,41 regional water distribution districts,42 water and sewer management districts,43 and conservation districts.44 3. Surface Waters 3.1 Method of Acquiring Bights As an oversimplification, appropriation water rights may now be obtained through the water resources board and pursuant to the relevant statutory procedures, and riparian rights for domestic use may be acquired by acquiring riparian land; for reasonable use rights other than for domestic purposes, it would be necessary to acquire riparian land with an appurtenant pre-1963 water use which was valid when initiated and which has continued in good standing. As indicated, this is indeed an oversimplification, and, in order to afford more clarification, it is necessary to explain in some detail the statutes and cases which serve to measure these rights, and that is the subject of the next section of this chapter. s^Sec. 932. a8 Sec. 934. » Sees. 937 and 937.1. *° Sees. Ill et seq. « Sees. 531 et seq. *2 Sees. 1266 et seq. 43 Sees. 1324.1 et seq. "Sees. 501-101 et seq. |