TULSA, Okla. — City leaders are updating Tulsans on progress and plans related to the Zink Lake project. We’re told the new recreational area is set to open on Labor Day 2024, but there’s still more work to be done. One concern raised by citizens is the quality of the water and how people will be alerted to the cleanliness of the water. We went out to the water today and looked for ourselves.
In the area immediately around the project, the water seems reasonably clean, but go upstream a few blocks, and you’ll see green, dirty water littered with garbage. The Zink Lake project is right next to the Holley Oil Refinery, causing concern for some citizens.
Some we've spoken with say they saw oil sheens in the water. It has Charley Pratt worried.
We asked Pratt: would he swim in it?
"No. Because, as you heard, the whole focus is on E. coli, bacteria, and maybe algae. No mention of the hydrocarbons," Pratt said.
Hydrocarbons are found in crude oil and coal, which some say could reasonably spill over from the refinery.
- Previous coverage >>> Some Tulsans concerned over Zink Lake water safety
Leaders at the meeting also discussed ways to alert citizens to the water's quality.
"Monitoring is great, fantastic, but we’ve got to be able to get the word out to the public," one city leader said.
Leaders mentioned a few different ideas, like a flag system seen at beaches, a QR code, or signs sending people to a website with live test results.
"It’s a great idea for the general public, cause that’s what they’re gonna want. They just wanna say go, no go. So that’s a good idea," Pratt said.
All options are on the table right now. Those kinds of options are abundant in other areas of the project, too. Options that Pratt thinks should have been examined more closely.
"It’s frustrating. They should be focused on asking the hard questions, and they didn’t," Pratt said.
More meetings are expected, and they will have opportunities for public comment. People can see the City's Zink Lake homepage by visiting this link.
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