Commissioners adopt hazard mitigation plan, will ask OSU for Lake Carl Blackwell dam plans

Board directs emergency manager to draft a letter requesting Oklahoma State University's five- and 10-year maintenance plans for the 89-year-old dam

Chris Peters

Sep 21, 2026 - 6 min read

Payne County Emergency Management Director Pierce Taylor, left, tells commissioners the Lake Carl Blackwell dam and the county's hazard mitigation plan are separate matters as Chairman Zach Cavett reviews the plan during the board's Sept. 21, 2026, meeting in Stillwater. – Photo by Chris Peters

Commissioners adopt hazard mitigation plan, will ask OSU for Lake Carl Blackwell dam plans — Payne County Emergency Management Director Pierce Taylor, left, tells commissioners the Lake Carl Blackwell dam and the county's hazard mitigation plan are separate matters as Chairman Zach Cavett reviews the plan during the board's Sept. 21, 2026, meeting in Stillwater. – Photo by Chris Peters

Payne County commissioners adopted the county's 2026 Hazard Mitigation Action Plan on Monday and formally directed Emergency Management Director Pierce Taylor to draft a letter asking Oklahoma State University for its five- and 10-year maintenance and repair plans for the Lake Carl Blackwell dam.

The letter request came after weeks of appeals from former Stillwater City Manager Carl Weinaug, who has asked commissioners to include OSU's commitments to reduce risk at the dam in the county's plan. Commissioners tabled the plan Sept. 14 and directed staff to seek answers from the university before taking it up again Monday.

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