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A Man, A Plan, A Canal — Bynum Offers Another Dam Idea

City Councilor G.T. Bynum pitches another change for a water in the river proposal: a canal from Zink Dam to south Tulsa rather than a 49th Street dam.

"Having this canal would, in essence, allow someone to get on a boat in downtown Tulsa — if they are so inclined to go through the whitewater flume on Zink Dam — take that canal all the way down to the south Tulsa-Jenks lake and go as far south as 103rd," Bynum told the river infrastructure task force today.

A common question during town hall meetings was whether people could boat the length of the river. Bynum thinks the canal could also solve ecological problems, such as fish getting past the dams.

Two months ago, Bynum suggested a 49th Street dam should be added and ones in Bixby and Sand Springs should be cut. The canal idea cuts out the 49th Street dam.

The new proposal is similar to one originally brought up in 2007.

"I've now asked some engineers to at least run this through some modeling and give us a better idea if this is an unrealistic option or if it is a realistic one," Bynum said.

It will be at least a couple weeks before engineers have any sort of report.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.