Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Broken Arrow public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
17 issues in water utilities
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.
Haikey Creek Lift Station Phase IV upgrade
The joint lift station serving both Tulsa and Broken Arrow flows is severely undersized. The Phase IV project will rebuild it to handle 42 million gallons per day.
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.
Turtle Creek Subdivision drainage study funding
The committee was to consider recommending the City Council fund a drainage study for the Turtle Creek Subdivision. A study is usually the first step toward fixing flooding or drainage problems in a neighborhood.
Swan Lake Addition drainage improvements funding
The agenda called for the committee to consider recommending DENIAL of funding for drainage improvements in Swan Lake Addition. If confirmed, that would mean no city money directed there for now.
Ninth Street storm sewer improvements underway
A previously approved project to capture water crossing Ninth Street from about 17 acres near Indian Springs is moving forward — materials are being ordered and construction will be scheduled soon, which the 8451 South 9th Street homeowner says should ease his front-yard flooding.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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.
ODEQ Consent Order Case No. 25-253
A variance or appeal case before the Board of Adjustment got pushed to March because the board didn't have enough members present. Anyone following this case will have to wait another month for a decision.
Elm Creek Trunk Line Improvements
Cherokee Pride Construction got the contract to replace manholes on the County Line trunk sewer from Washington Street to Houston Street. Aging manholes can leak groundwater into the sewer system, so this saves treatment costs down the line.
Houston Street closure for Old Town waterline work
A narrow stretch of Houston Street (81st Street) between 79th Street and South Winwood Lane closes for about four weeks while crews rebuild the road. It'll be a detour headache for commuters, but the roadway — recently inherited from Wagoner County — was in very poor shape.
Verdigris River Water Treatment Plant Upgrades
A services agreement with Haynes Equipment Company will upgrade the telemetry and SCADA systems that let staff remotely monitor and control water and sewer infrastructure.
Fleet HVAC renovation and lift station rehabilitations
A consultant agreement with Holloway, Updike, and Bellen covers rehabbing the Dresser Rand lift station, the equipment that pumps sewage uphill through the system. Rehabbing it keeps the wastewater flowing and avoids costly failures.
Elm Place water transmission line extension
A 16-inch water transmission line is being extended along Elm Place between Florence Street and Miami Street to strengthen water capacity as part of the city's capital plan and loan program. Bolding Construction won the job with the low bid of about $1.08 million.