Keystone dam broken?

[custosnox]

I just heard, by way of a riverparks authority employee, that the reason the river is so low is because the damn is broken. Anyone else hear anything on this?

[RecycleMichael]

It ain't Keystone dam, it is the low-water dam at 31st and Riverside

[we vs us]

It ain't Keystone dam, it is the low-water dam at 31st and Riverside

More info, please.

[dbacks fan]

I can't copt the link on my phone, but they are having to repair the gates and hydraulics on the dam at Zink Lake that control the flow amd level of water in Zink Lake.

[RecycleMichael]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=61&articleid=20110611_11_A22_Ifther975560&archive=yes

Work on Tulsa's low-water dam is necessary
By World's Editorial Writers
Published: 6/11/2011  If there is going to be a lake, it will need water.


Zink Lake is dangerously close to becoming a partial lake. With the lack of rain in the watershed and the deterioration of the low dam, what once was water bank-to-bank is now often half full with exposed sandbars. Some critics of dams and development along the Arkansas River will say that the low-water dams alter what should be a prairie river. What those critics fail to realize or choose to ignore is that the Arkansas River was altered decades ago when the Keystone Dam was built.

If those same critics would prefer the Keystone Dam not be there, then they don't recall or haven't studied their Tulsa history to know that before the Keystone Dam and lake were built, Riverside Drive and Peoria Avenue were subject to frequent floods from an unaltered river. Now, the River Parks Authority will spend as much as $102,140 to repair or replace six gate cylinders in Zink Dam near 31st Street and Riverside Drive.

The repairs are expected to return 85 percent to 90 percent of the lake's water. That is important for a city that is promoting more riverfront development. It also is good news for a newly renovated park system that runs from Sand Springs to Jenks. Philanthropic Tulsans have improved the River Parks in the last few years, and a river or lake with water in it certainly makes for a better view for those using the park.

The problems with the low-water dam are causing the low lake levels. Bill Smith of Hydropower International Services works with the River Parks on the project. "What we're getting for the money is as much of a lake as we can with a little bit of a leak, compared to having the gates down and not operational," he said.

The repairs will be paid for with a $50,000 donation from American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma. The city has designated $50,000 for the repairs in its proposed 2012 budget. The remaining $2,140 will come from River Parks' contingency fund.

Tulsa needs to capitalize on its river. Future dam work will benefit the entire county.

If Tulsa is going to have a river and a lake and if the city wants private development along both, then both will need water.

This is money well spent.

[custosnox]

that'll teach me not to clarify, or to get info second hand.  I was just told that it was the dam, and I didn't even think of the low water.

[dbacks fan]

No biggie.Should have seen the video from when the dam broke at Tempe Town lake and it drained in about 6 hours. Although the 'odor' from what was left behind was,um, strong.

[carltonplace]

They should clean out some of the sand and debris that has accumulated around the LWD while the water is low/gone.

[Salukipoke]

What ever became of the 2 low water dams we voted for in the Vision 2025 plan??  Will we have to vote no them again in a few years??   

[OSU]

I used to drink Keystone when I was damn broke...

[we vs us]

Thanks for the info.  Anything that can rationally explain why the river has become a muddy trench is good research. 

[AquaMan]

Still not the whole story. World editors might want to look at historical releases of water for the last few months and when they occurred. The Keystone dam has been hovering at around 723 ft for a long time and they haven't been releasing very much water. Drought conditions upstream are the real problem. The little bit they do release is late afternoon to midnight and drains out of Zink lake pretty quickly.

I also take issue with their belief that people who want to eliminate these huge dams are not aware of history. They are. Building in flood plains is a Tulsa tradition. They should ask the Corps why they stopped building these things shortly after Keystone was finished.

[custosnox]

Still not the whole story. World editors might want to look at historical releases of water for the last few months and when they occurred. The Keystone dam has been hovering at around 723 ft for a long time and they haven't been releasing very much water. Drought conditions upstream are the real problem. The little bit they do release is late afternoon to midnight and drains out of Zink lake pretty quickly.

I also take issue with their belief that people who want to eliminate these huge dams are not aware of history. They are. Building in flood plains is a Tulsa tradition. They should ask the Corps why they stopped building these things shortly after Keystone was finished.

Conan posted some picks of the headwaters coming this way, so we might have an increased flow soon.

[guido911]

Thanks for the info.  Anything that can rationally explain why the river has become a muddy trench is good research. 

Most know I am not a native Tulsan. But the "river" never seems to be a "river" for those in South Tulsa. It looks like a piece of crap giant sand bar.

[nathanm]

Most know I am not a native Tulsan. But the "river" never seems to be a "river" for those in South Tulsa. It looks like a piece of crap giant sand bar.

I've seen it full on more than a few occasions in the past five years. Almost never in the summer, of course. It all depends on flow upstream, as our hydraulic avenger states.