News Coverage
Read the featured articles below to learn about the challenges we're tackling, the partnerships we're building, and the strides we're making toward a healthier Arkansas River. Each story is a testament to the power of collective action and the positive impact we're creating together.
Orphan oil wells litter riverbed of the Arkansas
KTUL
April 8, 2024
Arthur says disbelief is a common reaction when he's tried to raise awareness about the issue.
"It's just funny to me that people don’t believe me when I tell them there’s old wells like this in the Arkansas river, and they say, 'Well, it’s probably not actually an old oil well, it’s something else.' I’m like, 'Is this something else?,'" he said.
How safe is the water in the Arkansas river?
KTUL
April 12, 2023
Our position is that the water that accompanies the oil, that forces the oil into the river is also contaminated with chemicals like benzene and other carcinogens
City's plans for recreation in the new Zink Lake questioned
Tulsa World
May 18, 2023
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Some Tulsans concerned about chemicals in Arkansas River
Fox 23
June 13, 2024
That system is not sensitive enough to ensure safety because the sensitivity required is almost 1000 times greater than what that protocol is capable of.
A conversation with Barbara Van Hanken, co-founder of Tulsa Area Arkansas River Advocates (TAARA)
KWGS Studio Tulsa
June 28, 2023
As the construction work and corresponding land/water/property redesign continue along the Arkansas River's low-water dam and Zink Lake site, roughly near Riverside Drive and 31st Street here in Tulsa, a new environmental-advocacy group is calling for more and better (and more transparent) water testing in the river.
Meeting of water protectors' could lead to coalition effort to lobby state lawmakers
Tulsa World
January 21, 2020
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Residents want mandatory testing of Arkansas river
KTUL
September 7, 2023
It’s a simple thing, just say in the permit that the city of Tulsa is responsible for taking samples of E. coli at points where the public will be exposed
KRMG In-Depth: Groups bring concerns about Zink Lake safety, economic impact to city council
KRMG In-Depth
May 30, 2023
Our primary goal here is to educate the public, and suggest pathways forward to prevent economic and environmental catastrophes (with regard to) some of the projects that have been green-lit. We need to be careful not to minimize the concerns of the contaminants, because this body of water has not been tested.
Residents repeat concerns about Zink Lake's safety
Tulsa World
August 3, 2023
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"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one"
-Jacques Yves Cousteau