River Spirit Casino, Oklahoma Aquarium, & Jenks River Crossing All May face 5 feet of flood waters The Keystone Dam is now releasing 200,000 cubic feet of water every second. That's close to the record rates they were releasing in October of 1986, when the the levies in Jenks were barely high enough, at 620 feet above sea level. But the Tulsa metro area has changed greatly in the past 35 years. River Development has been all the rage and Jenks has led the way by encouraging new ventures outside the levies. The water being dumped into the Arkansas River is beyond comprehension, so let's create a mental picture... A College Football field (including the endzones & sidelines) would be under 3 feet of water every second; as a result of this kind of water release. In 1986, I was part of the effort to save Jenks from the floods. At that time there was one old limestone house where the Riverwalk Crossing now stands. The water was near the roofline of that home. The entry to the Oklahoma Aquarium is at 614' above sea level. The Riverwalk is about 615'. The River Spirit Casino Hotel in Tulsa is at 613'. |  This image shows part of the Jenks area that faces a serious risk of flooding, this week. |
 |  Here are a couple resources for further reading... Above is the INCOG floodplain map. It shows where flooding is possible. To the left is a great article from Travis Meyer, the weather expert at KOTV news. |
