After crafting a report on fixing the Tulsa County levees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will seek public comments for a month, including a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. October 8 at the Case Community Center in Sand Springs.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers welcomes the public’s feedback on the report,” said Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager, Bryan Taylor. “It is critical that the public review this. We want them to be fully aware of what we have planned for the levee system.”
The proposed plan includes:
- 13 miles of filtered berm on levees A and B;
- A filtered floodway structure;
- Federal funding for 65 percent of a projected cost range of $150 million to $250 million;
- Two new detention ponds;
- Seven rebuilt pumping stations ($9.8 million); and
- Possible buyout of residential properties near the levees.
One possible plan would be to buy the residential properties behind levees A and B to prevent loss of life in case of a 200-year or 500-year flood. Residential property accounts for only 30 percent of that potentially flooded area. Buyout costs are estimated to be between $200 million to $400 million. That would remove 2,051 homes from Sand Springs, a city of only 7,702 households. That would have a dramatic impact on funding for the city government and area schools.
“Local tax revenues would fall considerably as would local business revenues, all of which would have reverberations throughout the local economy, and it is unlikely that many residents could remain the same general area given that housing costs outside of the impact area in Sand Springs and Tulsa are much higher,” according to the report.
“The public release of the draft tentatively selected plan report is the next key step to modernizing the Tulsa-West Tulsa levees,” Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, said. “By releasing the draft report ahead of the budget process for the next fiscal year, we can continue to stay ahead of schedule for modernizing and upgrading the levees. The opportunity for public comment is especially important given the terrible flooding Oklahoma experienced earlier this year. The draft report outlines the costs and resources necessary to protect the people and property of Tulsa-area communities so we can budget appropriately during the next federal budget cycle.
“I appreciate the continuous engagement by our state and local partners who are committed to working with us to make sure the Tulsa levees are modernized and will continue to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure, as they have for the past 70 years.”
In May, floodwaters were a genuine threat to the levee system in Tulsa County with the near record release of water from the Keystone Dam at 277,000 cubic feet of water per second. Some flooding did happen and that forced evacuations.
“We are so pleased that the project is right on schedule and that we are progressing as quickly as possible to begin improving the levee system,” said Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners Chair, Karen Keith. “We encourage the public to review the document, attend the public meeting, and provide their comments.”
In 2008, the Corps rated the District 12 levee “unacceptable” and chose it as part of a risk assessment pilot program in 2014. At the time, the rating meant it was not expected to withstand a 100-year flood, which equated to 205,000 cubic feet of water per second.
According to the report, options include a buyout plan for property owners (see chart), a full cutoff wall and taking no action at all because of the low likelihood of another flood of similar strength.
“I recommend that the Tulsa and West Tulsa Levee, flood risk management project, be modified as generally described in this report as the recommended plan and with such modifications as may be advisable within statutory discretion be approved and remaining construction implementation completed,” said Col. Scott Preston of the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Implementation of these features will reduce the prior to overtopping risk of levee failure due to under and through seepage to tolerable levels. The Total Project First Cost for the recommended plan is $159,688,000. Total average annual costs for the recommended plan is $ 6.8M (Federal discount rate of 2.875%, 50-year period of analysis). The recommended plan is a life safety reduction plan and is a NED exception plan.”
Between 1938 and 1945, USACE constructed five levee systems along the Arkansas River and tributary creeks in Tulsa County (TWT Levee systems). Beginning in 1945, the levees were transferred to the Levee District of Tulsa County, which assumed responsibility for long-term maintenance. Levees A and B both converge at the Charles Page Floodway. In their current state, the levees are prone to erosion, seepage, and lifting occurring at the Charles Page Floodway.
The 3 levees protect over 10,000 people and over 3,000 structures and property worth $1.79 billion. There are 3 federally built and owned pump stations along Levee A, 2 along Levee B, and 2 along Levee C. There are also 2 pump stations that are locally owned, one on the west side of Levee B and one on the Tieback side of Levee B. Levee A intersects the Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Superfund site between pumping stations 1 and 2.
This Superfund site historically had concerns of contaminated soils and groundwater resulting from industrial land use, but is no longer on the National Priorities List as of 2000.