The TulsaNow Unaffiliated and Unorganized Float Trip

[cannon_fodder]

This thread (p. 23-24) veered off topic to somehow become an impromptu discussion of a TulsaNow float trip. Numerous parties volunteered that they had floating craft of some kind, Aquaman has knowledge, and Michael said he can turn a 3 hour tour into 3 years of bad television. I say we make a plan and execute.

To be clear, this really won't be a TulsaNow sponsored event. This will be a group of people who know each other form the interwebs looking for something fun to do some spring weekend day. There will be no organizing body, no insurance, no permits, and no life guard on duty. Also, I have no intention of taking the lead - but I want to go so I'm happy to get the ball rolling and see someone else take over.

I propose meeting somewhere up near Keystone on some weekend late morning-ish.  There is bound to be somewhere for several cars to park and throw some canoes and kayaks in the water. If not, Sand Springs has a park on the river that would work. A couple of people leave vehicles at River Parks West or Blue Rose (nachos!) and catch rides to the start point. We paddle on down the river and come ashore, a couple people wait with the crafts as others are taken back to get their cars (to haul their boats). Should't be too difficult and only take a morning. Bad weather, high water...we cancel in this thread.

I have an old aluminium canoe, and I'm in. Someone take this the rest of the way...

[AquaMan]

Swift Park is a good place to put in craft. It is just below the dam on the South side. If the school bus, or some trailers, could carry the craft up to Swift Park, I have a bus suitable for 28 passengers. Then we could float down and pull out at Blue Rose, or the West Bank park. Course, someone has to drive the buses and trailers back.

It would have to be planned in advance for a short notice departure. I think <30,000cfs would be a comfortable current. Would you agree V-2025?

[cannon_fodder]

Isn't 30,000 cfs the "need to get rid of water" gates open but not a panic level of release? Like they did last spring/early summer when the lake hit 3' below Mannford high school. ...

https://www.facebook.com/usacetulsa/videos/922754667765830/

They were releasing 11k cfs specifically for the raft race.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/video-keystone-dam-opens-gates-lets-high-waters-flow/article_0abee645-3491-5171-adfe-c0542c9ec9d9.html

In case you are wondering, 300,000 is "this is bad, time to evacuate downstream but it's coming" level of release. Like 1986.
http://newsok.com/article/2161843

[Conan71]

Let me check with one of my rowing club contacts and see what they recommend.  I haven't been out there in a few years and my memory is pretty foggy as to what was considered a "safe" flow.

[AquaMan]

I think 30K is an upper level. I've floated it, quickly, at 42k but I like being able to stop on bars or islands and they are covered at that rate.

Remember, the upper part of the river near Keystone is way different than from SS to Tulsa. You want enough to get over the Shell Creek area but low enough to explore that area. If they did 11k for the race, that's probably good enough.

Spring break week was good and it was around 8k-12k. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=07164500

[Ed W]

I want to photograph the start, but I probably won't go along on the float.

[buffalodan]

Finally, something I can contribute to!

Here is the release schedule for Keystone Lake (KEY) http://swpa.gov/gen/wed.htm. Change Wed to Mon, Sat, whatever.

Keystone has two generators, both produce ~35mw of electricity, so that is the number you see. 35MW is about 5k cfs. 70 is about 11k. It get updated around 2pm the day before. If something changes, this website doesn't change. That will happen if somebody downstream of a dam. It results in massive changes for the entire river system. They won't release any more unless Keystone is in flood conditions. This is in electrical demand time, which is hour ending(?). I could be wrong, but I think release water at 7am means that release for the 6am-7am time period. Electricity never made sense to me.

The day of, this website is what you want to check. TW-ELEV will be 737.5 if they aren't releasing water, and 742.5 if they are.
http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/webdata/gagedata/KEYO2.current.html

The entire system is pretty confusing and very fluid. Remember that a request to stop releasing water in Texas could potentially impact Tulsa. I have this vision of creating a chart that shows historically what the river looks like for the third weekend in April, but haven't ever been able to do anything.

[cannon_fodder]

Hey!  Welcome to the forums! I take it you have been a lurker for a while, good to break the ice.

What is the flow time from Keystone to Zink?

If the water is too low, we have to stick to the channel and pull ourselves over a few spots. If it is high, we may get crushed under I-244. I'm cool with too low. 

[RecycleMichael]

Would I be considered flotsam or jetsam?

[Conan71]

Hey!  Welcome to the forums! I take it you have been a lurker for a while, good to break the ice.

What is the flow time from Keystone to Zink?

If the water is too low, we have to stick to the channel and pull ourselves over a few spots. If it is high, we may get crushed under I-244. I'm cool with too low. 

Seems from my experience at the rowing club it was around two hours at normal generating capacity. 

[buffalodan]

So I don't know about paddling/rowing, but 2 hours seems to be a good estimate from the raft race. Once water is released from Keystone, it takes ~6hours for that water to get to I-244. So if it does take 2 hours to paddle, you probably want to leave a few hours after the Keystone releases so that you don't catch the front of the water and end up in a sand bar.

Though honestly, I want you to catch the flood wave and let me know what it is like. I envision a 5' tall wall of water just careening through Sand Springs, but I bet the reality is way more boring. I probably won't be able to make it to the trip, but will try to keep up to date on it. About a week or two out it becomes easier to predict what will happen.

[Breadburner]

Would I be considered flotsam or jetsam?

Steerage..

[AquaMan]

I love it when you launch in front of a release. There is no huge wave, but it does rise pretty quickly. The most remarkable sight I had was floating around the Sand Springs park late in the day when the river began rising. Lots of good sand bars near there and the Least Terns like it when the water is low. The water actually began percolating up through the sand bars! Lots of little springs of water jetting up from the sand bars with the little Terns scurrying around.

I was thinking of tying my kayak to the old Nissan this morning and floating but the wind is pretty irritating. And my shoulder, and the heat, etc, etc.

[patric]

In case you are wondering, 300,000 is "this is bad, time to evacuate downstream but it's coming" level of release. Like 1986.
http://newsok.com/article/2161843

Such fond memories.  Had a relatively new car and was called in for an emergency shift for my job on Brookside.  So pe-ooed.