Crews Replace Sloping Concrete Walls Along Shore Of Lake Yahola

By Craig Day, The News On 6

TULSA, OK – The News On 6 wants viewers and web site users to send in their good questions. Questions can be e-mailed or you can join The News On 6 morning meeting chat live each weekday morning at 9:00 and afternoon at 1:30.

One viewer recently wanted to know why parts of Lake Yahola in north Tulsa are bone dry. On Monday, The News On 6 went looking for answers.

There’s something you don't see every day -- an 80,000 pound track hoe driving along the bottom of Lake Yahola. Construction work and the lack of water has piqued the curiosity of many people.  

Friends Sandy Jones and Jana Singletary are avid bird watchers. They love to visit Lake Yahola. While keeping their eyes on the birds, they couldn't help but notice the dramatic drainage of two of the lake's three chambers.

"They drained it for repair, didn't they? That's what I thought," said Jana Singletary, a bird watcher.

As it turns out, she's right. For the first time in more than a decade, much of Yahola is drained for maintenance work. Crews are replacing parts of the sloping concrete walls along the shore. 

Multiple freezes and thaws over the years have taken a toll on some of the concrete panels.

Lake Yahola is a reservoir for the City of Tulsa's water supply. The city says the maintenance work is taking place right now because demand for water is at its lowest point of the year.

While maybe an inconvenience for anglers, the project offers a silver lining for birders like Sandy and Jana.

"Normally, of course, this is all filled with water, but now we have access to walk out and see. I don't know what they are doing, but it's helping birding," said Sandy Jones, a bird watcher.

The project should be completed by April 1st. Once it is finished, the city will fill it up with water and Lake Yahola will look more like it's old self again.

It normally takes just a few days to fill the lake back up again. The maintenance project costs just more than $800,000.