State lake authorities struggle to reopen facilities
State lake authorities struggle to reopen facilities

Published: July 11, 2007

Flooding virtually has closed several Oklahoma lakes, forcing tens of thousands of Oklahomans to find an alternate spots for summer recreation.

Most lakes are well above normal levels, and at some, rest rooms and other buildings have disappeared under water.

At Lake Texoma, for instance, the flooding’s full impact didn’t hit until July 8, when water surged over the spillway for just the third time since the lake opened in 1944.

“I have not seen this massive of a storm dumping this much water over this broad of an area,” said Ross Adkins of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Tulsa. Adkins has been the corps’ Oklahoma spokesman since 1987.

Adkins said persistent rainfall has caused his agency to perform a “juggling act” — trying to prevent flooding at lakes while trying to stop the same at rivers both upstream and downstream.

Texoma, one of the nation’s busiest lakes with an estimated 6 million visitors a year, essentially is closed.

All of the lake’s 23 marinas are at least partially submerged, as are rest rooms and numerous campsites, lake manager Ron Jordan said.

The situation is similar at Arcadia Lake near Edmond, which continues to hover at more than 10 feet above normal.

“The Corp of Engineers has advised us that they do not plan to release water from the lake for the next couple of weeks so we anticipate that the water level won’t subside for some time,” said Edmond Assistant City Manager Steve Commons.

Campsites under water

At several other lakes, campgrounds and picnic tables are under water, making camping impossible and boating treacherous.

“My goal is to have everything somewhat useable by the Labor Day weekend,” said Arlyn Hendricks, manager of Kaw Lake near Ponca City.

However, he cautioned: “We could have rest rooms that we may not get back for a year.”

Keystone crested at more than 30 feet above normal the first week of July.

“Most of our areas are shut down. We’re pretty much in a flood-control mode now,” lake manager Allen Ryan said.

He said the lake’s level was similar to the flooding of 1986 and a couple of times in the mid-1990s.

Several camping areas and boat ramps are also closed at Lake Thunderbird, said Mike Fina, spokesman for the state Department of Tourism.

State and federal officials urge travelers to contact the park directly to find out what the conditions are before starting travel, Fina said.

Lake levels

As of Monday afternoon:

Lake Levels as of Monday, July 9:

All the lakes are reporting murky water except Broken Bow Lake, Skiatook Lake and Tenkiller Lake.

Broken Bow Lake is 9.2 feet above normal and steady.

Copan Lake is 20.6 feet above normal and steady.

Eufaula Lake is 12.4 feet above normal and steady.

Ft. Gibson Lake is 27.6 feet above normal and steady.

Hulah Lake is 29.8 feet above normal and steady.

Kaw Lake is 32.8 feet above normal and steady.

Keystone Lake is 29.5 feet above normal and falling.

Hudson Lake is 16 feet above normal and falling.

Oologah Lake is 25.8 feet above normal and steady.

Grand Lake O' The Cherokees is above normal.

Skiatook Lake is 6.6 feet above normal and steady.

Tenkiller Lake is 5.5 feet above normal and steady.

Robert S. Kerr is below normal.

Webbers Falls is several feet above normal.

Draper is 2 feet above normal.

Hefner is normal.

Overholser is normal.

Thunderbird is 7 feet above normal.

Wes Watkins is above normal.

Carl Blackwell is 1 1/2 feet above normal.

Chandler is above normal.

Greenleaf is 1 1/2 feet above normal.

Spavinaw is slightly above normal.

Canton is 4 feet above normal.

Ft. Supply is 1 feet above normal, water clear.

Arbuckle is is 8 feet above normal and rising.

Hugo is 10 feet above normal.

Konawa is 1/2 foot above normal.

Murray is above normal.

Texoma is 14 feet above normal and rising.

Wister is 6 1/2 feet above normal.

Altus-Lugert is full, with water flowing over spillway.

Ellsworth is full with all flood gates open.

Foss is 1 1/2 feet above normal.

Ft. Cobb is 5 1/3 feet above normal and rising.

Lawtonka is full with all flood gates open.

Waurika is above normal.

Closures

Arcadia Lake is closed.

Wah-Sha-She State Park on Hulah Lake is closed.

Snowdale State Park on Lake Hudson is closed.

Bernice State Park on Grand Lake is closed.

Texoma State Park is closed.

The Riverside RV Campground and Grand Cherokee Campground are closed at Cherokee State Park on Grand Lake.

Walnut Creek State Park's tent camping area and the Pioneer RV Camp Ground are closed. Boat ramps at Walnut Creek are closed.

Keystone State Park's boat ramps are closed but RV campgrounds remain open. Cabin areas are not affected by flooding.

Sequoyah Bay State Park has two of four camping areas open.

Lake Thunderbird State Park has closed the sailboat and South Dam boat ramps. Hog Creek and Denver Corner boat ramps are open on the north end of the lake. The Turkey Pass boat ramp in the Clear Bay area is open on the south end of the lake and park. The Hog Creek RV campground is closed. All other campgrounds at Lake Thunderbird State Park are open.

Sequoyah Golf Course is only allowing play on the back nine holes of the course due to flooding.

All other state parks are open. All state lodges are open. Visitors are encouraged to call the individual parks to inquire about specific campgrounds and park areas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CURRENT LAKE CONDITIONS, VISIT WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM.

Source: Army Corps of Engineers, Oklahoma Department of Tourism