Tulsa River Dams pass house despite OKC votes against

[Townsend]

Funding Low Water Dam Improvements

http://kwgs.com/post/funding-low-water-dam-improvements

We must have water in the River. That is the gist of a report going to the Tulsa City Council next week.

Voters rejected funding low water dams earlier this month. There is still a chance for federal funding, but the State Supreme Court last week, stripped away Tulsa's source for matching funds.

Mayor Bartlett thinks the Kaiser Foundation's "Gathering Place", planned for the area near the low water dam, could be counted toward matching community funds. The Foundation is proposing a $100-million plus development in front of the Blair Mansion near 29th and Riverside Drive. They hope to break ground in 2014.

The River Development Task Force will present its report to the city council one week from Thursday.

So I'm trying to figure out if the Mayor has decided since V2 failed, that there's no other option.

[AquaMan]

I disagree with the conclusion that Tulsan's voted down low water dams. That is way too simplistic. Contributions to the funds necessary to complete the dams was voted down and even then only because they were lumped in with enough pork to feed the Alabama football team for years.

Tulsan's want water in the river. They didn't trust V2. Apparently though, few others in the state want water in the river around here.

[Townsend]

River Task Force Presents Recommendations to City Council

http://www.publicradiotulsa.org/post/river-task-force-presents-recommendations-city-council#.UMIzAcznYUE.facebook

Recommendations of a River Development Task Force are formally presented to Tulsa City Councilors. Task Force Chairman Herb Fritz says the report includes 30 points, but the most important by far is 'keeping water in the river'

  O.o   

and moving forward with plans to upgrade Zink Dam and finding funding for dams near Jenks and Sand Springs. The report also recommends the city do all it can to support the Gathering Place development at 31st and Riverside, spearheaded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

A final recommendation is to create a committee or agency to oversee and coordinate all development along the river. City Councilors are expected to follow that suggestion and form such an entity.

[AquaMan]

Assuming that water can be "put" in the river, how would the City of Tulsa form that entity for a river that snakes 40 miles through two counties? There needs to be an umbrella authority that includes representation of cities, counties and tribes from Keystone Dam to Broken Arrow or you'll have built in dysfunction and hostility. Tulsa is a big player but not the only one.

In case no one has noticed, the Corps won't even allow increased water releases from the Missouri into the Mississippi even to float barges. We're asking for water for recreational.