City councilors heard Wednesday from a group of concerned citizens who questioned the quality of the water in the Arkansas River and asked the city to shoot straight about what activities will be allowed in the river when the renovated Zink Dam is opened next fall.
“We are a group of like-minded individuals united by a shared concern for the Arkansas River in Tulsa and are here to educate this committee and suggest pathways forward that we hope will prevent economic and environmental catastrophes,” said Kelsey Royce, a founding member of the Arkansas River Rights Coalition.
Royce provided councilors at a committee meeting with records she said show that it is not yet known whether the segment of the river that runs through Tulsa is suitable for swimming and fishing.
“However, we know that the absence of data isn’t the same thing as the absence of risk,” Royce said.
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She also provided councilors with pictures of pollution in the river, including one that showed a partially submerged vehicle in the river bed.
“This is pollution you don’t need a test to detect,” she said, adding that all of the images were from within the footprint of what will be Zink Lake.
“The bottom line is this: The river is unsafe for recreation, and I cannot reconcile the contradictory uses, industrial and recreational, so I ask you guys to please think long and hard about what is being asked of the public — to pay for amenities and to take an unacceptable risk,” Royce said.
Engineer Charles Pratt, also representing Arkansas River Rights Coalition, said he was concerned about what he said was the seepage of pollutants entering the river from the HF Sinclair refinery on the west bank.
“What is going to have to … happen is the refinery is going to provide some kind of long-term solution, not just putting Band-Aids on it,” Pratt said. “And I can guarantee you it is going to be a long time coming because it will be very expensive for them to do.”
According to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Sinclair discovered a hydrocarbon sheen and discrete oil seeps along the river bank north of Zink Dam late last year.
Sinclair promptly installed hard and absorbent booms in the water and is seeking approval of a permit modification to install a containment cap and collection system to address oil seeps in the river, a DEQ spokesperson said.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Sinclair said it is working with the DEQ, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies to finalize its plans and begin implementation.
Rusted metal, plastic and scum are in the Arkansas River near the old amphitheater at River West Festival Park.
“In the meantime, we are actively monitoring the riverbank and have installed containment, which is operating effectively,” the statement said.
City officials have said they believe the renovation of Zink Dam and the new pedestrian bridge that will tower above it will finally provide Tulsans with a recreational option on the river and stimulate economic growth in the process.
But what exactly those recreational opportunities will be remains in flux.
Frequently asked questions and answers about the Zink Dam posted on the city’s website states that programming and operations on the river will in part be subject to the city’s operations agreement with the River Parks Authority, which has yet to be finalized.
“It is expected that recreational opportunities will include things like kayaks, canoes and non-motorized watercraft,” the website states. “Water depth will also have the capacity to accommodate rowing events. Other water activities are subject to discussion after water testing protocols and guidance procedures are developed.”
City officials said after Wednesday’s meeting that the city tests the water discharges into the river produced by the city’s stormwater system and water treatment plant to ensure that they meet state permitting standards and that the DEQ is responsible for permitting other discharges along the river.
The city also partners with the U.S. Geological Survey to test water within the river, officials said, but none of the testing is designed to provide guidance on whether the river is suitable for swimming and other recreational activities.
City Engineer Paul Zachary said that type of testing won’t happen until the renovated Zink Dam is completed and water is impounded behind it.
“We are going to test, and we are going to be able to provide that data that will show the E. coli and (other bacteria levels) so people can make informed decisions about their water recreation,” Zachary said. “And there is going to have to be an ongoing public education effort.”
Mayor G.T. Bynum’s chief of staff, Blake Ewing, made a similar pledge during the committee meeting.
“Obviously, we can’t open a world-class recreational amenity while either ignoring or disregarding water safety, the quality of the water,” Ewing said.
Ewing said that once the dam is completed and testing begins, the city plans to provide regular updates comparing the quality of the water in Zink Lake to the water in other lakes in the area.
“People have been getting in Keystone Lake for the past how many years?” Ewing said. “And if they are comfortable with that, we can show you what Keystone Lake looks like and what Zink Lake looks like.”
City councilors agreed to continue the discussion with concerned citizens and said they plan to hear from Zachary and other city officials next week about the issues raised Wednesday.
2020 video: Zink Lake project breaks ground
The dam project is expected to take 28 months to complete.
