Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Broken Arrow public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
21 issues in water utilities with high priority
Highway 51 Sewer Extension Agreement
A resident's complaint over a year ago revealed that industrial wastewater — including Blue Bell Creameries' releases — was backing up into homes during rain events. The new sewer line reroutes the entire industrial park's waste away from the neighborhood.
Legacy 1970s drainage systems flooding homeowners
Three of the four cases involved neighborhoods platted in the 1970s, before Broken Arrow had drainage design criteria — meaning water sheets across multiple lots into private yards in ways the city would never approve today. The committee is deciding when those legacy problems rise to a public benefit worth city money.
Private pond spillway improvements at 8451 South 9th Street
A private pond dam built without permits overtops repeatedly and sits on top of the city's main 60-inch sanitary sewer line — the pipe carrying roughly 90 percent of flow to the Lynn Lane plant. The city won't pay to build a private spillway, but may cost-share riprap to protect its manhole.
Lead and Copper Rule School Sampling
A services agreement with TruePani, Inc. was scheduled to help with lead and copper water sampling at schools and child care facilities — a public health measure for kids.
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements
The board approved multiple contracts and property easements for water treatment plant upgrades, trunk line improvements, and elevated storage tank construction to maintain reliable utility services.
$27.93 million OWRB loan for water and sewer projects
The board approved multiple contracts and property easements for water treatment plant upgrades, trunk line improvements, and elevated storage tank construction to maintain reliable utility services.
2-3 MG Elevated Storage Tank Project
The council backed Tulsa County's push for an $8 million FEMA grant to raise a mile of Garnett Road and the 101st intersection five feet against flooding. It costs Broken Arrow nothing but could fix a congestion and flooding headache on the city's edge.
Haikey Creek Biosolids Improvements
The $48.2 million project lets the plant Broken Arrow shares with Tulsa process its own sludge instead of trucking it to a Tulsa facility. Costs are split 50/50, with a $9.6 million USDA grant helping, leaving Broken Arrow's share at roughly $19.3 million. Construction takes about two years.
PFAS in Broken Arrow's drinking water system
The authority was scheduled to receive study findings on PFAS — 'forever chemicals' — in the city's drinking water, along with considerations for future response. Depending on the findings, residents could see impacts on water treatment plans and rates.
Wagner Rural Water District capacity
The Authority is entangled in a legal conflict with Rural Water District No. 5 of Wagoner County over water service to the Grove subdivision, including allegations under federal law (7 U.S.C. § 1926(b)). The board hired Hall Estill to represent it and went into executive session to discuss litigation strategy.
Rockwood Creek Improved Channel Stormwater Maintenance
A concrete-lined channel's slope is sliding, dropping the fence line next to Vandever Elementary's playground and threatening power poles and the city's detention pond. A feasibility study is recommended.
Erosion threat at 3321 W. Commercial Court
Fast stormwater flow is carving a dangerous drop near a homeowner's property line, and the neighbor who once backed the fix pulled out at the last minute. The committee backed shifting construction money back to design to find a workaround that doesn't touch that property.
Broken storm sewer eroding Indian Springs Golf Course
A 1970s corrugated metal pipe serving 14 acres of the Indian Springs 2 subdivision has failed on golf course property, eating away the slope and forcing the club to replace protective fences twice. The committee recommends council fund construction to replace the pipe and rebuild the slope, with work targeted for the dry fall season.
Omaha Street waterline relocation and road widening
Tulsa County is widening Omaha from Lynn Lane to the county line, and the city has to move its waterline out of the way. The state is picking up about $800,000 of the $1.3 million bill, so the city only covers the rest — freeing up money for other projects.
Inverted-crown street flooding in Cambridge Estates
Streets built with inverted crowns in 1978 dump runoff wall-to-wall through yards and into homes at 8624 S. Harp Boulevard. $60,000 in construction funds is recommended to pipe the flow underground; design is complete.
Surfacing groundwater near Houston St and Midway Rd (Forest Ridge)
High groundwater has been pooling in four homeowners' yards since Antler Falls construction began last fall, and the Houston/Midway intersection drains poorly. $50,000 is recommended to hire a consulting engineer for a comprehensive design.
Clogged storm sewer flooding home near Elm and Washington
A 1970s-era pipe serving a shopping center parking lot clogs and sends water into a homeowner's house. The city cleaned the inlet and jetted the pipe as a stopgap and recommends $12,000 to survey and design a larger system.
Undefined 1950s drainage way behind East Midway homes
A drainage path behind roughly 20 downtown-area homes has no easement, no defined channel, and backs water into yards, fences, and one retiree's crawl space and garage. A $75,000 design study is recommended to find a comprehensive fix.
Drainage improvements in South Fork Estates
Clearing for the new Spring Creek Crossing development increased runoff flowing through older South Fork Estates lots. The developer paid for the design, and the committee recommended turning the city's $25,000 design allocation into construction money.
Adams Creek Reserve F weir reconstruction and East Seattle Court flooding (Case 26-003)
The weir structure behind the Dick's/Target center may not be detaining water as designed, sending peak flows into Westwind backyards near the high school. The committee recommended finishing plans and building the fix.
Spring Creek Crossing Stormwater Dispute
Residents of the South Fork area have raised drainage and stormwater concerns tied to the Spring Creek project. The city, developer, and residents are meeting to work out a cooperative solution.