May Dam rehabilitation to begin in March; river boat landing work and diesel spill cleanup underway

Oklahoma City Public Works reported that construction for the May Dam rehabilitation is expected to begin in March 2025 and that drainage of the May Basin has already started, a process staff said will take roughly a week.

The agency also updated trustees on ongoing riverfront construction, bank stabilization work and a diesel spill discovered in late January. Joe Shumway, Oklahoma City Public Works, told the Riverfront Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 25 that crews are working at the First Americans Museum river boat landing and that contractors have stored material near an area planned for amphitheater seating.

Shumway said, “The May Dam rehabilitation project is expected to start construction March of ’25. In the process of this, we’ve began the draining portion for the May Basin. That’ll run us for roughly approximately a week.” He described visible site work at the boat landing and a ramp and mooring notch where boats will tie up.

Shumway and staff also reported cleanup and bank work after crews found a spill of farm‑grade diesel in the Eastern Basin downstream of the Brum Dam. “Not at this point,” Derek Johnson, stormwater quality superintendent, said when asked whether a responsible party had been identified. “Staff have been working diligently to try to find a responsible party... we’ve been able to isolate it to about Fourth and Lee... we’ll actually have to do some CCTV work... to find it.”

Public works crews completed about 1,100 linear feet of bank stabilization near the Wheeler District and removed approximately 80 cubic yards of debris, Shumway said. He said contractors carried out the initial cleanup after the spill and that the city’s river crews supported the work.

Trustees moved to accept the river project summary during the meeting; the motion passed by voice vote. The report covered project timing, cleanup activity and recent site photographs provided to trustees.

City staff said the CCTV investigation is scheduled to begin later in the week following the meeting to try to locate the point of entry for the diesel, and that additional remediation work will follow if the source is found.

Work on the boat landing, bank repairs and May Dam rehabilitation are part of ongoing riverfront improvements overseen by Oklahoma City public works and partner organizations; staff did not provide a construction completion date for the landing or the amphitheater seating area.

A motion to accept the river project summary passed; trustees did not record individual vote tallies in the public transcript.