Low water Dams in Sand Springs and at 106th St

[swake]

Here is the federal funding bill to pay for the federal portion of our two low water dams that were part of 2025.

The bill has already passed the house and is now before the Senate.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0507/421624.html

[perspicuity85]

Do we know how long it will be before work may begin on the dams?

[swake]

Inhof says that the dams will be approved in the final version of bill but that the $12 million in funding will be removed.

We can build the dams, but we have to pay for them.

Enter Randi Miller and her upturned pants.....

[sportyart]

Step-style dam design presented

     
     
     


By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
5/27/2007
A low-water dam can be designed to be extremely safe for recreational use while addressing floodwater flows, fish migration, and sand buildup, a U.S. Corps of Engineers consultant said.

"These issues can all be met with a dam that is there when you want it and gone when you need it gone," said consultant Bill Proctor of Tennessee Valley Authority.

A step-style dam with collapsible gates would provide not only the flexibility to deal with water flows, but would eliminate the death trap that is created by the recirculating roller of water from flows over a stationary dam, like the Ogee design at Zink Lake dam, he said.

Proctor made a presentation to the Indian Nations Council of Governments Advisory Committee last week about a variety of low-water dam designs that are safe and could be used in the Arkansas River.

Two proposed low-water dams -- one in Sand Springs and the other in Jenks -- along with modifications to the current Zink dam are part of an overall Arkansas River Corridor Master Plan.

Although environmental and technical studies related to the final placement and design of the dams are still under way, Congress has yet to authorize the Corps to do the work or provided any funding.

A Senate-passed provision to authorize $12 million for the construction of low-water dams on the Arkansas River in Tulsa County will reportedly be stricken from a final version of a major water resources bill.

Some local officials are hoping the funds will be reinserted in another bill.

In 2003, Tulsa County voters approved $5.6 million in Vision 2025 funds to help pay for building two dams, which is a fraction of the actual cost to construct them.

Additional private, local and federal funds will be needed, officials said.

Cynthia Kitchens, the Arkansas River Corridor project manager for the Corps, said the cost of the dam projects and shoreline stabilization is $120 million.

Officials throughout the county agree that the proposed dams will provide a benefit not just for the county, but the region.

Proctor discussed several possible dam designs but focused on the step-style dams equipped with Obermeyer gates that are mechanically raised and lowered by inflating and deflating rubber bladders.

During high water flows, the Obermeyer gates can be lowered, allowing sand buildup to be flushed downstream.

The step-style of the dam removes the dangerous hydraulic roller effect and forces water downstream, Proctor said.

Whatever design is used, Proctor suggests raising the height of the Sand Springs dam to 10 feet from 8 to capture more water from power releases at Keystone Dam.

The Sand Springs dam is proposed just south of Oklahoma 97 and would create a 5-mile lake.

The water could be stored and released slowly until the water height is at 8 feet, preserving the recreational activity in the lake pool.

Proctor suggested the height of the gates at Zink dam also be raised a few feet to extend the lake and provide more water to drive a whitewater course below the dam.

The Jenks dam would be located just south of the Creek Turnpike and create a 3-mile lake.

Kitchens said the plan complements a proposal by George Kaiser Family Foundation that would design the river using jetties to keep a concentrated flow of water in a four-mile stretch of the Arkansas River between the Zink Dam and 71st Street during low river flows.





Tulsa World

I love this idea!!!! I hope this is what the city goes with, not the 18 foot tall dam and an island for the rich.

[TheArtist]

So are we going to have a vote to pay for them soon?  How long does it take to set up a vote?  

120 mill, if we don't get any mony from the feds, and possibly a vote at the same time on the 40 mill or so for light rail.

If and when we get this done and decide on how high the water will be and where the shorelines will be and hardened, we can start having some development on the river. If everything goes smoothly and quickly I can see the dams started in 2009 or 2010 and some sort of development around then as well.

[daddys little squirt]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

So are we going to have a vote to pay for them soon?  How long does it take to set up a vote?  

120 mill, if we don't get any mony from the feds, and possibly a vote at the same time on the 40 mill or so for light rail.

If and when we get this done and decide on how high the water will be and where the shorelines will be and hardened, we can start having some development on the river. If everything goes smoothly and quickly I can see the dams started in 2009 or 2010 and some sort of development around then as well.

My impression is that these are merely proposals. Someone important must not be happy with the prospect of dumping more tons of concrete into the river and creating "slow water" parks. I say, the more ideas the better.

Keep it all in the planning stages forever.

This is something we have been able to accomplish for years and should be proud that each successive generation of taxpayers and politicians understands the need to do so.

[SXSW]

Are these dams the ones that will be funded by the stimulus?  Does anyone know when construction is slated to begin?  This TW article is the latest info. I could find:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20090311_298_0_OKLAHO138647

I see it passed the Senate, has the House voted on the $25 million proposal yet? 

[Hawkins]

The new Cherokee casino at 81st and Riverside should pay for the Jenks dam.

They have more money than God. Why not?

This way they could actually give something back to the community, instead of sucking it dry.

[SXSW]

The new Cherokee casino at 81st and Riverside should pay for the Jenks dam.

They have more money than God. Why not?

This way they could actually give something back to the community, instead of sucking it dry.

It definitely would aid their plans to build a hotel/conf. center and marina for water taxis to Riverwalk Crossing and the aquarium.