Zink Lake recreation

[Red Arrow]

River water speed is about 5-8mph depending on release, depth, width etc.

Best plan is just don't go any farther south than the skate park without a power source. Beautiful pics btw.

I wanted to suggest a few small sailboats.  My cousin belonged to a sailing club on the Charles River (Boston) in the early 80s.  I think the boats were about 16 to 18 ft but don't remember exactly.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. At that time, if you fell overboard they took you to the hospital due to the river condition.  I think it's much better now. They had made big improvements even by the 80s.  A 5-8 mph current might be a bit much for that type of sailboat.

[waterboy]

ALL artists conceptions of river development always show sail boats and marinas as part of the development. Thats just puffing. Curious that I've only seen one little boat on the river in years. A deep keel is a problem here unless the river is high.

[SXSW]

I would think once the Sand Springs dam is complete, which is slated to be taller than the current low water dam to hold back more water for downstream releases, that you could sail on the lake behind it.  The river gets very wide just west of Sand Springs and I could imagine this being an area people could boat and even sail.  The ways the hills come right up to the river banks would make this 'lake' pretty scenic and probably safer than on Zink.  Like I've said before a way to get from the 'lakes' in Jenks to Zink to Sand Springs on the water via locks could be utilized in the future.

[Conan71]

A Hobie Cat is about the only thing you could get away with on Zink Lake to sail up-stream, and only if the wind is out of the south.  Any of the Sunfish/Laser class boats wouldn't have enough hull speed to overcome the current unless you had a 20-25kt wind if there were much of a current.

[Vision 2025]

A Hobie Cat is about the only thing you could get away with on Zink Lake to sail up-stream, and only if the wind is out of the south.  Any of the Sunfish/Laser class boats wouldn't have enough hull speed to overcome the current unless you had a 20-25kt wind if there were much of a current.

I've sailed both a Hobie 14, and 16 in Zink plus a Laser and Windsurfer.  Wind wise 10-15 was perfect for the cat(s).  The Hobie's problem was too slow tacking, you gave up too much ground to the current and with their straight line speed you tacked constantly after getting a head start buck up current.  The Laser was excellent with either a North or South wind except for the dagger board issues.  Handling the current was no issue at all in low flows but at much over power gen flows going upstream would not be productive. 

One of the best performers for reaching back and forth across the lake was a Windsurfer with a good (15-20+) South wind you never really went anywhere but it sure was fun.  Only issue was you needed a helmet and shoes in case you went splat!

[SXSW]

The project I'm currently working on is near Lake Hefner in OKC and I constantly see people sailing and kite surfing on this wide open lake, even though swimming is prohibited (it's OKC's drinking water source).  I doubt you could really do anything like that on Arkansas in Tulsa but maybe on the future lake west of Sand Springs where the river is close to 3/4 mile wide and you have winds coming down the canyons off the hills through there.  That's a beautiful area between Sand Springs and Lake Keystone, I hope they someday extend the river trail along the west/south bank up that way.

[SXSW]

About the water quality in the Arkansas, is it really that bad?  You can certainly swim in Lake Keystone.  While I can see why they have the river off limits to swimming due to it being a muddy mess with dangerous currents and floating debris, is the actual water quality really that poor?  Say for instance you took a jet ski out there and splashed water on your body/face, maybe even some got in your mouth, would you get sick?  Any more likely than on Lake Keystone, or for that matter Grand Lake/Fort Gibson?

I'm always amazed how clean the Great Lakes look even though they had decades worth of industrial pollution dumped in them, and probably still do today.  People swim in them though, in the summer of course.

[Conan71]

Feh, if we get out on a windy day, we can half fill the foot boxes with river water in our rowing shells.  Then when you tip them over to carry them up the ramp, you get a shower.  Otherwise I've been splashed in the ears, eyes, mouth, nose and had my hands, feet, and entire body even immersed a time or two with no deleterious results that I can see.

Don't make it a regular practice, but there's nothing worse in the river water than wound up in it between Leadville, Colo. and here. 

[ARGUS]

that river water  dislocated your shoulder didnt it?

[Vision 2025]

About the water quality in the Arkansas, is it really that bad?  You can certainly swim in Lake Keystone.  While I can see why they have the river off limits to swimming due to it being a muddy mess with dangerous currents and floating debris, is the actual water quality really that poor?  Say for instance you took a jet ski out there and splashed water on your body/face, maybe even some got in your mouth, would you get sick?  Any more likely than on Lake Keystone, or for that matter Grand Lake/Fort Gibson?

Don't confuse brown nor the ocassional foam with poor water quality. 

The water quality is rated for the activities you list... "Secondary Body Contact."  However; the discharge standards are essential the same as those for "Primary Body Contact" the reason for the difference was to discourage swimming due to the dangers related to the river not the water quality.

The foam appears when you have rising levels that stir the chlorides (natural salts) up.