TULSA, Okla. — The Muscogee Creek National Council approved an $8.2 million dollar project agreement on Thursday with the City of Tulsa, the City of Jenks, and INGOG to create a new lake in the Arkansas River.
City and tribal leaders say this $96 million lake project will include a marina, a trail system, and a new reinforced shoreline. The idea is to bring tourists and investors to the area.
"There's a lot of history here in Oklahoma with Native tribes, 39 tribes here, we want to draw tourism here." Principal Chief David W. Hill with the Muscogee Creek Nation said.
Tulsa and Jenks city leaders joined tribal leaders to announce Thursday's plans to turn the often dry Arkansas river bed into a lake with tourists and new economic opportunities flowing in.
"Thanks to this historic, regional collaboration, we're going to make it happen," Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said.
The plan is for a lake from 71st to 101st, where the dam will hold water as deep as 10 feet. Bynum said Tulsa is putting in $64 million, the City of Jenks $16 million, and the Muscogee Nation $8 million.
Jenks Mayor Cory Box, said it's the largest economic investment in the city's history.
"We believe wholeheartedly that this will be a gigantic boost for our ability to plan for our future and to find the financial freedom for the City of Jenks," Box said.
The project is dependent on reaching an agreement with the Muscogee Nation to create a Tax Increment Financing District to pay for the infrastructure.
"You've got to do all the stormwater outlets to make sure that they're secured, so there's a lot other work that goes into it beyond just building the dam and the bridge," Bynum said.
Together, the cities and the tribe will pursue an $8 million federal grant to help cover the cost of a trail system.
"It's a historical day," Hill said.
The chief addressed the historic flooding in 2019 and said they will work with FEMA on flood prevention, pulling together a plan that will benefit the two cities and the Muscogee Nation.
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