New Dams Approved For Arkansas River

Another step is taken in revamping the Arkansas River.  Even though voters turned down a sales tax to redo the river, The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports the money approved at the state and federal levels is now beginning to show.

It's Vision 2025 money moving river development forward right now.  That's what's going to pay for the engineering work approved on Monday by the Tulsa County Commission.  It's still going to take several years to design and build the dams, but it is going to happen.

New dams will create two new lakes on the Arkansas River and will make high water more of a regular feature.

"This is a large step and the next great step in this process," said Kirby Crowe with Program Management Group.

The county commissioners chose an engineering firm called CH2M Hill to design the dams that will keep water in the river.

"They'll do all the planning, engineering, design and preparation to do the actual construction," said Tulsa County Commissioner Fred Perry.

After voters turned down the river development sales tax, commissioners decided to go forward with the master plan that calls for two new dams and major changes to the current dam underneath the pedestrian bridge.

One of the key parts of the job for the engineering team is the redesign of Zink Dam.  They'll have to make it safer for people and better for the fish in the river.

The dam creates a rolling wave of water that's dangerous to anyone in the water nearby.  Warning signs tell people to stay back.  At the same time, it traps sediment and pollution upstream, making it unhealthy for wildlife.

While there are significant environmental and engineering problems created by damming the river, officials are certain those can be solved.

"This is the process that works through the issues, this is the federal process that you use to mitigate any issues, address any concerns, to make improvements," said Kirby Crowe with Program Management Group.

While speculative designs were shown to promote the river tax, what is eventually built is yet to be determined.  The only thing that is certain, commissioners now say, is that the dams will be built, without a new sales tax.

The new dams will go in at Sand Springs and Jenks and the Zink Dam will essentially be rebuilt to change how the water flows over it and through it.