Drain game
OKC drains Bricktown Canal in prep for cleaning
Treasure abounds in the Bri c kt own Canal. Beer bottles and golf balls. Coins and cocktail menus. Sunglasses and action figures.
“Oh gosh,” said Scott Copelin, natural resources manager f or Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation. “Skate boards. Carts. Phones. Shoes. Last time, we had 70 cat fish this big.”
On the bank of a drainage ditch just beyond the Land Run Monument on a cold Tuesday morning, Copelin attended to the turning of the T-handle and watched water begin to drain out of the canal.
The city last cleaned the milelong canal three years ago, and expects that will be the regular schedule to drain its 3 million gallons of water, remove debris and make necessary repairs.
“This is an integral part of maintaining what is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions,” said Parks Director Doug Kupper. “The amount of debris that can accumulate in a few short years is remarkable, not to mention the interesting things dropped into the canal by Bricktown visitors.”
The canal, which has an average depth of four feet, should be empty in two or three days. Crews will use small tractors, fire hoses and other equipment to clean the canal. Washing will take about five days. A new grate for debris is in the works.
“We' re trying to improve things,” Copelin said.
If Oklahoma weather co operates, the canal should be flowing by Valentine's Day.
“We try to schedule the canal cleaning so it will have as little impact as possible on water taxi operations and Bricktown commerce,” Kupper said. “As busy as Bricktown is throughout the year,
that's not always an easy task.”
As for the cat fish, city officials said crews with the municipal H.B.
Parsons Fish Hatchery will collect the fish during the draining, and relocate them to the Oklahoma River.