Dam Busting in Tar Creek

Its a hot July morning, and I find myself in a pair of waders along with around 8 other people, walking in Tar Creek and pulling out rocks from the stream. The water is much higher than usual, attributable to the recent downpours. We determine that the water is still safe enough to work in, using long metal poles to help us with balance as we get to the faster moving parts of the creek. We have waders on to reduce our exposure to the contaminated water, but the kids who built these dams did not.

You may be wondering: Why are the dams here? Well, local teens would want to have a better fishing hole or deeper water to swim in, so they decided that blocking water flow was the best choice for this. While they are not wrong, the creek they chose to do it in can have detrimental health effect. Tar Creek is high in heavy metals, exposing anyone in the water and even those on the banks to heavy metal poisoning. Also, the accruement of still water in a water system can lead to increased bacterial growth and less ideal conditions for local wildlife. Overall, the effects are negative on humans and the environment.

During my summer at LEAD Agency, we decided we wanted to do something about this. Thus, we dedicated a day to go out and break down these dams, and we left informational signs about the creek’s health dangers to help educate those that have been hanging out around the creek.