On May 14th, 2019 the Keystone Dam outflow surpassed 100,000 cubic feet per second for the first time since 1995. While the massive volume of water was enough to draw sightseers out to the dam and to make some folks nervous, it was only an inkling of what was to come.

By the 21st the City of Sand Springs closed Case Community Park and issued a voluntary evacuation advisory for the Meadow Valley subdivision due to flooding along Anderson Creek, an Arkansas River tributary. Dam outflow reached 161,000 cf/s.

On the 22nd dam output reached 206,000 cf/s. The City of Sand Springs declared a State of Emergency, and Webco Industries evacuated the Star Center manufacturing plant on Highway 51. Natural Gas and Sanitary Sewer services were shut off inside of Meadow Valley and water began to overflow the riverbanks in the Riverside West and Town and Country subdivisions. The Sand Springs School District canceled final exams and ended the school year early. By the end of the night, the streets of Town and Country were almost completely submerged.

Flooding in Town and Country neighborhood.

At noon on the 23rd the dam outflow surpassed 250,000 cf/s and the Tulsa Boys Home was forced to evacuate. Highway 51 was shut down due to flooding.

Meanwhile, flooding began to affect the north side of the river as well. Bigheart Creek became a lake, completely flooding a large stretch of West 7th Street. The levee walls at the intersection of 65th West Avenue and Charles Page Boulevard began to leak, raising concerns about the structural integrity of the World War 2-era constructs.

West of town, the Candlestick Beach neighborhood began to flood, and Case Community Park is completely submerged. Sandite Pride received an exclusive tour of the flooded campus.

Exclusive look at the flooding inside of Case Community Park.

By the 27th, large areas of West Tulsa had been placed under voluntary evacuation. The National Guard had begun airlifting sandbags to at-risk areas, and placed an occupying presence along the levees. Checkpoints were established in flooded areas to prevent non-resident access.

As suddenly as it began, the flood ended. It lasted less than two weeks, and by June 2nd the dam outflow dipped below 100,000 cf/s, allowing the waters to recede in most areas. Then began the long recovery effort. Many former residents of the flooded areas have yet to return to their homes.

Click here to view Sandite Pride’s full photo and video gallery from the flood.