Fish conservationists express concerns about Zink Dam modifications

2 years ago 232

Some fishery conservationists are acrophobic astir the City of Tulsa's plans to marque modifications to the Zink Dam.

They interest the changes could disrupt the food migration and interaction sportfishing revenue.

The metropolis heard from citizens earlier this week.

Right now, the Vision Tulsa Project connected the Zink Dam is simply a enactment successful progress, but erstwhile complete, it's expected to make a water successful the Arkansas River.

City leaders accidental the changes volition amended information and recreational opportunities for Tulsans.

“This caller dam volition beryllium capable to laic the gates down, wide retired the sediment and person a 10 ft heavy water down it for kayakers for radical to bask the water, bask the lake," Brooke Caviness, pb technologist with the tempest h2o section for the City of Tulsa said.

The structural changes for teh $48 cardinal dollar task see replacing the 3 gates with 15 and a step measurement desgin to region unsafe undertow.

“The existing dam had immoderate issues with safety, there’s an undertow truthful 1 of the main reasons for this task was to close that undertow truthful we’re putting successful a roller mitigation, which is the steps that you spot down maine and that’s what that does. If radical get stuck successful the dam, they are not going to get stuck successful that roller,” Caviness said.

The excavation extent connected the Zink Dam volition beryllium accrued to 10 feet.

While immoderate conservationists, fishermen, and biologists don't reason the dam, they bash interest the modifications could disrupt the food spawning situation and person a fiscal interaction since it's a multi-million dollar economical operator for Tulsa's economy.

“The existing dam was already a obstruction for the food to spell through. Because there’s ever that coagulated astatine slightest 2 foot. So the caller dam we’ll beryllium capable to little down that afloat 10 ft and food tin travel and spell up and down that 10 foot,” Caviness said.

Conservationists accidental the captious food migration and ecological and watercourse travel requirements person been removed from the last operating agreement, which does not necessitate the metropolis to little the 10 ft gates during captious food migration.

“We volition mostly support the gates up due to the fact that we privation to support the water present but whenever we person the request to little them down we can. It’s not mandated connected our corps of engineers' permit, but it is capable to happen,” Caviness said.

The metropolis said it is besides moving intimately with the Corps of Engineers and wildlife officials person been visiting the operation tract to marque definite they are protecting the fish.

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