TULSA –U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials with the Tulsa District have scheduled a public meeting to present the revised status and future plans regarding Pine Creek Dam. The public meeting will be held Tuesday, May 17, at the Valliant Community Center, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The center is located at 311 Johnston Street, Valliant, Okla. Col. Michael Teague, district commander, will present the new classification and future plans.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials with the Tulsa District have scheduled a public meeting to present the revised status and future plans regarding Pine Creek Dam. The public meeting will be held Tuesday, May 17, at the Valliant Community Center, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The center is located at 311 Johnston Street, Valliant, Okla. Col. Michael Teague, district commander, will present the new classification and future plans.

Because of ongoing safety issues, the Corps of Engineers has redesignated Pine Creek Dam from very high risk to extremely high risk. This does not mean that Pine Creek is in imminent danger of failing, according to Col. Teague.

"We are committed to keeping the people in the area of Pine Creek Dam informed," he said. "Investigations are ongoing, and several interim risk reduction measures have been taken. This rating actually speeds up the

process to find and implement fixes," he added. "It allows Pine Creek to move towards the front of the line

as the agency makes it annual resource distribution decisions."

Corps of Engineers has already done the following:

 

 Installed equipment that provides real-time monitoring of the water pressure within the dam and water levels downstream of the dam.

 Built inspection roads and removed vegetation to allow for better monitoring of the dam.

 Stockpiled materials for use in an emergency.

 Designed and installed a downstream filter to prevent movement of embankment materials along the conduit.

Public safety is the number one priority for the Tulsa District. The Corps’ Dam Safety Program seeks to ensure that Corps owned and operated dams do not present unacceptable risks to people, property, or the environment.

Wade Anderson, dam safety engineer for Tulsa District, said the evaluation and work at Pine Creek dam continues. Part of that will be the replacement of all the flood control gates. He said that dam safety investigations noted soft materials and a void in the embankment material surrounding the conduit, and that plans are underway to further investigate and fill the void. The plans include drilling borings from the surface of the dam down to the conduit and backfilling any voids with sand. The sand fill will serve as a filter to reduce further movement of embankment materials with the seepage through the dam.

Taking advantage of the lowered lake level needed for the dam safety investigations, a new boat dock was installed at Little River Park, and new docks and ramps were installed at Pine Creek Cove and Lost Rapids Park. Restoring the lake to normal pool levels will be addressed, and a decision made, after the voids in the embankment are filled.

Pine Creek Dam was placed into operation in 1969. The lake serves the citizens of Oklahoma providing benefits such as water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife, recreation, and flood risk management. The Corps of Engineers wants to ensure that the 42-year-old project will continue to safely provide those important services into the future. The public is encouraged to visit the district's website, 222.swt.usace.army.mil, or Facebook site, www.facebook.com/usacetulsa, for the latest information.