FERC OK's Big Marina on Main Lake

The Peninsula Resort & Club on Grand Lake announces that The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the commercial marina located on the tip of the peninsula in addition to the residential boat docks in Davis Cove. The GRDA Board of Directors had previously unanimously approved the permit in the Fall of 2006 and submitted their recommendation to FERC for their approval as required under the GRDA license.

"This is a very exciting day for Grand Lake, Northeastern Oklahoma, and The Peninsula Resort & Club," said Peter C. Boylan III, Chairman. "I would like to personally thank the GRDA board of directors and staff, elected officials, state agencies, and the hundreds of citizens whom proactively voiced their support for this important permit."

"The issuance of this permit remained a critical element associated with our ambitious plans to develop a premier four star resort on Grand Lake."

Tiger Wouldn't Have Been Welcome at Patricia Island GC

Tiger Woods, who first took up the game of golf at age 3, would not have been welcome at Patricia Island Golf Club, as new signs have gone up prohibiting anyone under the age of 8 from setting foot on the golf course grounds. That includes the practice green, the sandtrap, and driving range, and of course, the 18-hole golf course.
And Tiger shouldn't bring his First Tee program to Patricia Island either, as some of the kids are under age 8.
Little Megan, shown here, has five more years before she can use her family membership.
Golf course management says the new sign and policy helps to keep insurance costs down.

Corps in No Hurry to Lower Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appears to be in no hurry to lower Grand Lake, despite threats of heavy rain in Kansas Thursday. Only one gate was open Thursday morning, releasing only 19,000 cfs, while the stream gauge in Miami was showing 22,000 cfs still flowing towards the lake.
Fort Gibson Lake has 30 gates open, although only one to 1.5 feet, releasing 43,000 cfs and is 88% full. Lake Hudson has only gate open releasing 10,000 cfs and is 81% full.
Thursday at 8 a.m. Grand Lake's elevation was at 752.46, still more than seven feet into the flood pool. It crested at 754.54 last Sunday morning.
The Corps has responsibility for 22 lakes in Oklahoma, plus Hudson and Grand when levels reach the flood pool elevations.

Grand Lake Flood Pool 90% Full

"But Honey, you told me the retaining wall was built to 755." Actual lake level when this photo was taken was 753.

Sunday update: Grand Lake crested at 754.54 at 8 a.m. Sunday; by 9 p.m. it had dropped to 754.47 with five gates open; 50,500 cfs was coming in, 57,665 cfs being let out via generation and the five floodgates. Barring further rain, the lake should slowly drop during the coming week, although the Corps has continued cutting back on releases to allow Lake Hudson and Fort Gibson to reduce their levels.


Saturday Update: Grand Lake was at 754.21 Saturday at 6 a.m. with releases of 70,435 cfs and inflow of 83,000 cfs, with 8 gates open 15 feet and full generation. The Corps had forecast crest on Monday at 754.20 but that has already been exceeded. At Miami, 67,000 cfs was still coming down Saturday morning with 57,770 cfs at Commerce.

Some Grand Lake Residents who did not purchase waterfront property suddenly found themselves the proud new owners of lakefront land, with this week's flood, expected to crest Friday at 754.10 according to the Army Corps of Engineers. On Wednesday, 135,000 cubic feet of water per second was entering the lake at Miami, with total releases of 105,000 via 14 floodgates and full generation. Barring additional rain, the lake should start to drop Friday night. Thursday morning the lake stood at 753.60.

Huge trees and logs, like a freight train, streamed down the lake to Shangri-La Point with rafts of small branches and junk. Waterfront property owners are going to have their hands full cleaning up the mess, while receiving mixed signals from GRDA as to what can be legally done.

Lake Hudson and Fort Gibson, below Pensacola Dam, are expected to be 100% full on Friday.

The 10 inches of rain over southeast Kansas last week sent the Neosho to a record 29 feet in Miami at 8 a.m. Wednesday with up to 146,000 cfs at one point this week. This was the second biggest flood in Miami history, rivaling one in 1951 when the river went to 31 feet.

Breaking News...Flood Watch

Grand Lake Forecast to Rise to 755.00

Latest update as of Tue night:
Lake level at 751.45 at 10:00 p.m., 12 gates open to 15 feet, total releases 63,000 cfs, with 149,000 cfs still to come down from Commerce and 144,000 cfs at Miami. River flow at Miami has doubled since 1 a.m. Tuesday. Neosho at Miami to reach 28 feet today; 13 feet above flood stage. Latest update from Corps is that Grand Lake will go to 755 on Wednesday, July 4: Lake Hudson will be 100% filled on July 5: Fort Gibson will be 100% filled on July 5. Much debris is making its way into the area north of Sailboat Bridge Tuesday afternoon. Floodgates have been closed at John Redmond Dam in Burlington, KS as of Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier updates: On Sunday the Corps updated its forecast for Grand Lake stating that the flood pool would be 82% full, which would put the lake at elevation 753.50 on July 7.
The Corps is very busy, managing lake levels and releases at 8 lakes in Kansas, 22 in Oklahoma, 2 in Texas and Grand and Lake Hudson. The John Redmond reservoir in Kansas was releasing water via flood gates on Friday, which will come down the Neosho into Grand in about a week. As of Friday 12 gates were open at Pensacola Dam with full generation.

At 9 a.m. Monday Grand Lake was at elevation 748.41 and rising. The Neosho River at Miami and Commerce was still rising and in flood stage.

As of Monday only one road into Bartlesville is open, Frank Phillips Blvd, from Caney River flooding and releases from Lake Hulah, which is 33 feet above normal and at the top of the flood pool.

Reports of as much as 10 inches of rain fell Friday night in parts of the Grand Lake watershed in Kansas, pushing the Neosho River into flood stage at Iola, Chanute, Parsons, and Commerce, with as much as 55,445 cfs coming downstream Saturday afternoon at Chanute.

Lake Hudson is forecast to rise to elevation 635 by July 7 or 95% of its flood pool utilized.

Several lakes in other watersheds are already at the top of their flood pools, or even exceeding them, as in the case of Lake Hulah near Bartlesville, which was at 765 elevation Saturday afternoon and still rising, over the top of the flood pool.

Several lakes have been put under 24 hour surveillance by the Corps for top of flood control levels, including the state's two biggest lakes, Eufaula which is 86% full, and Lake Texoma, which is 78% full; others include Fall River, Hulah, Elk City, Copan, Kaw and Keystone.

Many campsites and boat launches are closed. The fireworks show at Skiatook Lake July 3 has been cancelled. Further information can be obtained at 918-669-7366.

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.

Smallmouth Bass Efforts Launched

Long-time Grand Lake Fishing Guide Ivan Martin and a number of other Grand Lake sport fishing enthusiasts are spearheading an online petition drive to encourage the Oklahoma Wildlife Department to stock Northeast Oklahoma's Grand Lake O' The Cherokees with Smallmouth Bass."A lot of us local fishermen would like for the state wildlife department to stock Smallmouth Bass in Grand Lake," said Martin. "Most all of the other lakes in Northeast Oklahoma have been stocked with them and the fish are doing great. Eufaula has had eight pounders caught! Grand would be a great lake for smallies," he added.The petition may be read and electronically "signed" at: http://grandfishingreport.com/smallmouthpetition.htmMartin also voiced concerns about the stocking of hybrids in Grand, stating, "The wildlife department says they want to stock a huge number of hybrids, but from what I see at other lakes that have too many hybrids, they hurt the other fishing. Give us Smallmouth Bass, that, from what I have been told, do not hurt the existing fish populations in a lake." "I urge all of my fellow guides and fishing fans to read and sign the petition. If they have a web site, please link to GrandFishingReport.com or directly to the petition page and urge their site visitors to read and sign the petition too," he concluded.

Third Annual Shoreline Cleanup is June 9

Attention Grand Lake lovers, the time has come for the 3rd annual shoreline clean-up on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. Since the recent rise of the lake level from upstream flooding trash and styrofoam have washed up along the shoreline.
Concerned? Here’s what you can do… pick a spot along the 1300 miles of shoreline along Lady Grand on Saturday, June 9th and pick up the trash. This is the 3rd year the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron has cleaned a few miles of shoreline. Denise Winn, Environmental Chairman of the Squadron stated that the litter removed each year is entirely the result of human activities and comes in all forms. We remove plastic and styrofoam cups, aluminum cans, bottles, broken glass, discarded fishing line, forgotten jug lines, plastics bags, old coolers, bait buckets, styrofoam, paint cans, plastic oil containers, disposable diapers, feminine products, cans, and various other items. Our lake is not a dumping ground, yet year in and year out a few people keep using it as just that.
This years shoreline clean-up is the perfect opportunity for school groups community groups, families, and concerned individuals to get involved and be an environmental steward for a day. It provides a chance to be a part of the activity that has a real measurable effect on Grand Lake. The clean-up is more that just collecting trash but it is an opportunity for the communities around the lake to get involved and work together to create a clean lake for all of us to enjoy. You don’t have to belong to a club or organizations to get involved, simply grab a few trash bags and take a walk down the shoreline.
Litter is more than just an unsightly nuisance. Shoreline trash can degrade the water quality. Discarded items like paint cans and oil cans can leak dangerous chemicals into the water and plastic can release a number of toxins when it breaks down. Leached chemicals, algal growth, and PH changes all adversely affect the health of the many invertebrates and microscopic organisms that are so vital to the smooth running of an ecosystem.
Cigarette butts will take around a month to a month and a half to break down. The filters are made of a cellulose acetate which is a type of plastic that contains many toxic chemicals that are released into the environment as it decomposes.
Some of the most dangerous aquatic debris items are the plastic six-pack rings and monofilament fishing line. Entanglement occurs when fish, birds, and animals get caught in the trash or when trying to use pieces to build their nests or shelter. Entanglement can restrict movement, cause open sores, and in some cases strangle them.
Litter in our lake can also result in lost revenue for our lake-wide tourism industry. So for the health of our lake as well as our regional economy it is extremely important that everyone becomes involved in the shoreline clean-up. You might not be able to find anything really valuable but it’s just the good feeling that you get from doing something good.
The Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron has seen the need and will engage on the 3rd annual shoreline clean-up June 9, 2007. The Squadron has chosen the popular beaching area of Patricia Island for their clean-up efforts this year and encourages other groups to pick an area as well.
Since styrofoam can float up in huge pieces it is important that you pull it up onto the bank to drain. Styrofoam doesn’t weigh much however, when full of water it can become very heavy. The locations for the styrofoam only disposal will be 8020 Hwy 59 N in front of Cedar Oaks Storage Units for the north end of the lake, Lakemont Shores Marina – 37609 S 540 Rd for the south and east side of the lake, and Baker’s Lake Ranch RV Park – 31625 S 4510 Rd east of Kahoots for the south and west side of the lake. These dumpsters will be available for styrofoam ONLY.
The green dumpsters around the lake are available for you to throw away the shoreline trash you collect. If you have large items that have washed up on your shoreline, please take them to the larger dump sites. The limbs and logs are NOT part of the clean-up… only litter.
Please help in this important endeavor for our “Grand” Lake. Grand Lake’s 3rd Annual clean-up is sponsored by the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron, Grand River Dam Authority, and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful. If you would like to take part in the clean-up and have any questions, please contact Denise Winn at (918) 791-9337 or kdwinn@gcinet.net for more information.