Water quality was on the tips of Tulsans' tongues at the Zink Lake public meeting Tuesday night.
Officials at the meeting discussed new opportunities for kayaking, tubing and fishing when Zink Lake on the Arkansas River opens Labor Day weekend. Some of the over 40 citizens at the meeting voiced concerns about consuming Arkansas River water during these activities.
People are worried about E. coli bacteria in the water, which can be higher than safe levels, especially after it rains. Water Quality Specialist at Indian Nations Council of Governments Vernon Seaman said bacteria in water is common.
“All of our natural surface waters have bacteria in them,” Seaman said. “The question is how much and what kind.”
He also said that it’s “impossible and impractical” to test for every bacterium that can make you sick.
Seaman said that E. coli levels don’t tell the whole story.
“Even if the E. coli levels are high that doesn’t mean you’re going to get sick if you get in the water. It just means the risk is probably higher,” Seaman said. “If the levels are low that doesn’t mean you can’t get sick, you still could become ill at lower levels.”
The city passed an ordinance that dissuades Tulsans from swimming in the water, but that won’t be strictly enforced according to River Parks Authority CEO Jeff Edwards.
“We’re not going to be Nazis,” Edwards said. “We’re not looking to have TPD (Tulsa Police Department) ticket folks left and right.”
Edwards gave an example of someone falling off a paddle board. If that happens, they won’t be ticketed for falling into the water and swimming back to their paddle board.
Tulsa Area Arkansas River Advocates President Barbara Van Hankin doesn’t like this distinction.
“They stood there and said, 'Well, we’re not going to do anything if you get in the water in the lake',” Van Hankin said. “They didn’t say swimming, but in the ordinances they just passed this last week it says no swimming in the lake.”
Along with banning swimming, the Tulsa City Council last Wednesday also disallowed gas-powered combustion engines or motors on the lake. Zink Lake will allow fishing, kayaking, tubing and a pedestrian bridge.
The lake opens on Labor Day weekend with a celebration called the “Big Dam Party” including many events. The Big Dam Party has a concert from Hanson, a parade, the world’s largest rubber ducky, vendors and more.
Tulsans can check the water quality, water temperature and streamflow for Zink Lake at this link.
