Brett Peters of Hawkins-Weir Engineers Inc. in Van Buren, Ark., made the preliminary report on the water source study to city commissioners and staff at a special meeting at Sallisaw City Hall.
Peters said a second lake impoundment on Brushy Creek would cost about $38,120,000.
Brushy Lake is Sallisaw's primary water source, and the city commissioners asked for the study to determine a second water source for the city to prepare for future population and business growth through the year 2060.
Peters reported to the commissioners, "You told us to leave no stone unturned, and we did that."
The possible water sources and total costs the engineers identified are:
-A second impoundment north of Brushy Lake on Brushy Creek - $38,120,000
-Lake Tenkiller - $51,500,000
-Lower Illinois River - $47,020,000
-Kerr Reservoir - $54,760,000
-Sallisaw Creek - cost expected to be too high, and was not calculated
-Vian Lake - $72,460,000
-Other options - The water in area strip mines and in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) flood control dams are not sufficient to consider as future water sources, Peters said. In addition, the NRCS watershed dams are reaching their age limit and have silt build-up problems, Peters noted.
In his introduction, Peters said engineers based their calculations on a 1.65 percent growth rate per year for the city, and a 2 percent growth rate per year for water use. The water needs were estimated for the years 2020 and 2060.
"If we started today, right now, it would be five years before you saw the first drop of water," Peters added about the time it would take to build an additional raw water source for the city.
Second Brushy Creek impoundment
Peters said engineers recommended this proposal because of the cost, and because the city's new water plant is near the site and is being built so that it can expand for future water treatment.
The proposed second Brushy Creek lake would be about two miles northeast of the present lake, and the lake could be as large as 540 acres.
An early study showed the lake could meet the city's needs, although a 24-inch water line would have to replace the present 16-inch water line.
Peters said the U.S. Corps of Engineers would have to do environmental studies on the site, but the engineers saw no problems or issues with the site.
The water quality in the present Brushy Lake was rated as excellent by the engineers, and water quality from a second impoundment up stream would be as good, Peters said.
Tenkiller Lake
Tenkiller Lake water quality is also rated as excellent, but the rights to the water and rights to water storage may cause problems, Peters said.
The city does have a permit from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to use 14,000 square feet of water. Peters said the state has a policy of "use it or lose it," meaning the state could reduce the amount of water permitted as the years go by without using the water.
Problems with the storage contract are also a concern, Peters said. Sequoyah Fuels, the closed uranium processing plant near Gore, has a storage permit for Lake Tenkiller, but had promised that storage permit to the Cherokee Nation years ago. The Cherokee Nation has stated it wishes to retain that storage permit.
City Manager Bill Baker noted that the city, Sequoyah Fuels and the Cherokee Nation have discussed the storage permit. "It is not close to being solved," he said.
Peters said the city would have to build an intake water plant at the lake and install 25.5 miles of water pipe.
He added that also the water storage permits now cost about $20,000 per year, when the permits expire, the cost is expected to jump to $200,000 to $300,000 per year.
"The advantage is the city would have a presence on the lake," Peters said, explaining those using the water would retain the water, "but in the future there could be some storage issues."
Illinois River
The lower Illinois River covers 12.8 miles from Lake Tenkiller to its confluence with the Arkansas River, Peters said, and the lake's water quality is also considered excellent.
The problems with the Illinois River, Peters said, is that there is a fish hatchery on the river and hydroelectric generation between the lake and the river.
Although the U.S. Corps of Engineers releases a steady stream of water for the hatchery, they also sometimes close the stream for hydro-generation.
The erratic water release would require that the city build an off-site water storage lake of about 40 acres, Peters said, and that would require additional pumps to keep the water supply moving to the city's water processing plant.
Kerr Reservoir
The water quality in the Kerr Reservoir, south of Sallisaw, is not considered good, Peters said, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the city's engineers that the Arkansas River and Kerr Reservoir were dedicated to three purposes before the water could be used as a water supply for a city. The purposes are for navigation, hydro power generation and recreation.
No municipality has applied for water rights at Kerr Reservoir, Peters noted, but, because the flow of the river alternates from high to low, the city would again have to build a water storage site away from the river, and then pump the water to the water processing plant.
Peters also noted that the U.S. Corps of Engineers will be dredging the channel for barge traffic, which would lessen the water quality.
Sallisaw Creek
Peters pointed out that the best site for a dam on Sallisaw Creek to impound water for city use would cover about 116,000 acres.
"The problem is," Peters said, "that the lake would be shallow and would cover or partially cover such areas as Dwight Mission, the Dwight Mission Cemetery, Dwight Mission Road and part of Marble City."
Peters said the water quality would be considered good, but the project would be considered the most expensive option.
"The biggest problems would be construction obstacles," Peters said. "Homes would have to be moved, the Kansas City Southern Railroad runs right through the middle of where the lake would be, and Dwight Mission, the Dwight Mission Cemetery and parts of Marble City would be flooded."
On the positive side, Peters said, a lake on Sallisaw Creek would provide more than enough water for the city "way beyond 2060."
Because the project would be considered the most expensive, the engineers did not do a cost analysis.
When asked about taking water from the creek at Sallisaw Park on the city's west side, Peters said that area could not supply enough water for long periods of time, but could be used in an emergency.
Vian Creek
Construction obstacles also figure into a water impoundment on Vian Creek, Peters said.
"Two electric transmission lines would have to be moved, along with a bridge and a few homes," he said.
Also, the city has no water rights to the creek and would have to build a storage lake.
The water quality, taken during previous studies, indicated water in Vian Creek was considered to be excellent.
Other Options
Peters said the county's watershed areas, the NRCS dams and other creeks in the county are not large enough to provide the water Sallisaw will need in the future.
He said raising the dam at Brushy Lake about five feet would impound more water, but might possibly impact the state park on Brushy Lake.
City Commission Clayton Meadows asked Peters to include in the study the possibility of an impoundment on Brushy Creek south of the present Brushy Lake along with raising the dam. Meadows and other commissioners said raising the lake level about five feet would not impact the park area. Those options will be included in the engineers' final report.
Peters said strip mines and watershed dams do not impound enough water for the city's future use.
Buying water from the Sequoyah County Water Association is also an option, Peters said, but the association may have trouble processing and delivering sufficient water to the city.
At the conclusion of the engineer's report, Baker noted that a new additional water source "will be a challenge to finance."
Mayor Shannon Vann also asked for a water rate study.
"We need to equate these numbers to what it means for the average residents of Sallisaw," he said.
Meadows asked the city staff to make sure that public hearings will be held so the public can comment on the water source options. The dates of the hearings will be published as soon as they are available.
