TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa is still plagued with waterline breaks around town, one midtown resident has a unique concern after a water line broke in his neighborhood.
Bryan Tosh said he is worried about losing his large tree and the expense that may come with it.
Although the city is working to address the waterline break, Tosh is concerned about the damage the water could cause to the pine tree in his front yard.
“This was Niagra Falls this morning, and it’s been Niagra Falls until about 20 minutes ago,” Tosh said.
For five days, Bryan Tosh has watched as water poured from this waterline break soaking the soil around the large pine tree in his yard.
Although the water was finally turned off Wednesday, the ground is still saturated.
To fix the broken water pipe, the city may have to cut through some of the tree's roots, possibly impacting his sprinkler system, too. Now, Tosh is worried for what comes next.
“I’m just really concerned, you know, as they dig down deep enough to get to that pipe, that we’re going to damage that tree,” he said.
2 Works for You reached out to Ken Preaus, a certified arborist. Preaus worries the excavation to address the waterline break will jeopardize the tree's stability.
“It might even dictate removal,” he said.
Removal is not Tosh's first choice.
“The root ball damage causes the tree to die and then I’m facing a, you know, $5,000 tree extraction to keep the tree from falling and cutting my house in half,” Tosh said.
He's trying to avoid that option at all costs.
“If we can avoid that right, it’s going to be an expensive tree to have removed and besides that, we don’t want to have it removed because we love the tree," Tosh said. "We think it enhances our home. We think it enhances and the owls nest in it. The owls roost in it all the time."
He's not alone. Jennifer Harmon, founder of Barred owls of Midtown Tulsa, said if the tree needs to come down, it could disrupt the owls habitat.
“You’re removing a place that’s in the immediate vicinity of the nest and so, the owl is perched there watching the mom who’s in the nest," Harmon said. "She’s got eggs and so, there’s going to be crows and all other kinds of trespassers trying to get in."
Tosh also worries about the water bill that's yet to arrive.
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