The River Spirit Casino Hotel in Tulsa is at 613'. The entry to the Oklahoma Aquarium is at 614' above sea level. The water was near the roofline of that home. At that time there was one old limestone house where the Riverwalk Crossing now stands. In 1986, I was part of the effort to save Jenks from the floods. 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. The water being dumped into the Arkansas River is beyond comprehension, so let's create a mental picture. River Development has been all the rage and Jenks has led the way by encouraging new ventures outside the levies.

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.īut the Tulsa metro area has changed greatly in the past 35 years. The Keystone Dam is now releasing 200,000 cubic feet of water every second.