Grand Lake Poised for Major Flood?

But Mom, we just did Shoreline Cleanup last weekend!

At 6 p.m. Tuesday almost 110,000 cubic feet per second of water was poised to move into Grand Lake from the Spring and Neosho rivers, both above flood stage. By 7 a.m. Wednesday this figure had grown to 129,000 cfs but by 4 p.m. it dropped to 119,000 cfs and to 85,754 by Thursday afternoon.

At Quapaw, the Spring River was moving 73,639 cfs, nine feet above flood stage at 29 feet, at 6 p.m. Tuesday. By 7 a.m. Wednesday it had grown to 90,502 cfs but by 4 p.m. it had dropped to 79,504 cfs, cresting at 30 feet, 10 feet above flood stage. By Thursday afternoon it had dropped to four feet above flood stage at 47,520 cfs.

At Commerce, the Neosho River was moving 35,454 cfs, four feet above flood stage at 19.6 feet. By 7 a.m. Wednesday it had grown to 38,663 cfs and by 4 p.m. to 40,243 cfs. Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. it was moving at 38234 cfs at five feet above flood stage.

Downstream at Miami, 43,324 cfs was moving at 2 p.m. Thursday, at a stage of 60 feet.

The above information is from the Tulsa District Army Corps of Engineers website.

At Pensacola Dam, 21 floodgates were open Tuesday, with full generation, which should release about 54,000 cfs; three gates are open at Kerr Dam downstream at Lake Hudson, according to GRDA personnel.

Grand Lake level was approaching 750, or five feet into the flood control pool at 2 p.m. Thursday. Huge trees, logs and everything down to twigs was coming downstream past Sailboat Bridge Wednesday afternoon, blown to the east by light winds.

For those who are counting, the largest infow of water ever to come into the lake was in 1943 with 300,000 cfs following a 26-inch rain north of the lake. All gates were opened to the maximum and everything flooded below the dam. Water rose on the back of the powerhouse to 7 feet deep, but was blocked from entering by sand bags and door closings.