TULSA, Okla. — The otherwise slow and steady Arkansas River has some pep in it's step this week.
River Parks Authority's Joe Medlin explained to 2 News the fast moving waters are coming from flooding in Wichita.
WATCH: Zink Lake closed due to stronger than normal current
“To mitigate that, they’re releasing water down into Kaw Lake," he said. "Kaw Lake releases into the Arkansas which flows to Keystone, so Keystone’s been rising about a foot a day. They’re releasing out of Keystone Dam to keep that area from flooding, which is just creating higher flows for us.”
The releases began Tuesday morning at around 10 AM.
At it's peak, which Medlin said will take a full day, about 60 thousand cubic feet per second will rush through the Arkansas for the first 24 hours.
“If you tried to stand up in this water, it would sweep you off your feet," said Medlin. "There’s not any exit points that are reasonably safe for people to try to get out of. An obstruction in the river on moving water becomes something that you get pinned against. With these flows, we've made the decision that it's best to close the lake which were allowed to do per city ordinances."
The timing, not ideal, as many are searching for ways to enjoy summertime and beat the heat.
2 News has covered other closures:
Local News
ZINK LAKE CLOSURE: How can everyone stay up to date?
Medlin emphasized that while the water levels may seem high, they're not worried about flooding. This decision to close off entry points is out of an abundance of caution to keep people like Emmersyn Penix safe.
“I really like to swim with my friends," said the fourth grader. "One time I got to swim in a lake and it was so fun because I got to see the nature and the fish and everything like that.”
As she looked over the pedestrian bridge at the fast moving current, Penix knows she should find other ways to stay cool.
“If I were to swim there or take a boat there... I’d probably not do it right now, because right now it looks like very very hard, it looks like the boat would flip," she said.
Medlin said US Army Corps of Engineers will slow off the releases over the next four days, and be completely back to normal by June 24.
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