OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Bricktown is going to look a little different for the next couple of weeks.
On Tuesday, crews began draining the 20-year-old Oklahoma City fixture for its first cleanup in three years.
The first step is draining the estimated 3 million gallons of water.
“It’s like draining a bathtub, we let nature and gravity do its thing and it goes out a pipe west of the canal,” said OKC Parks and Recreation Department Natural Resource Manager Scott Copelin. “We do have pumps that are attached to it. We could turn the pumps on but it would get really messy. We don’t want to do that.”
Copelin says a process that’s not always pretty.
“It’s funny the last time we did it, it looked like the guys worked in an oilfield because there was so much gunk in the bottom,” he said. “They were covered in dirt and muck. It was amazing.”
But it’s necessary.
The 20-year-old canal used to be drained every 5 years, but after 2017’s cleaning, there was a change of plans.
“There was so much junk in the bottom of it, we thought we’d do it more often,” Copelin said.
Crews found all kinds of stuff that took a tumble into the water.
“Skateboards, carts, phones, all kinds of stuff,” Copelin said. “It’s going to be really interesting.”
It’s not just lost belongings though – Copelin says last time they found huge catfish who found a home in the canal.
“Birds drop eggs and all kinds of crazy things like that,” said Copelin. “I’m sure people put fish in here – who knows. The fish biologist down at the fish hatchery comes out and they put them in the Oklahoma River.”
It should take about 2-3 days to drain the water, then it’s time for crews and heavy machinery to begin the cleanup process.
The goal is to get the water taxi back on the water in time for Valentine’s Day.
Hopefully, no candy cards or flowers fall into the interesting abyss.
“It’s really interesting just to see what you find,” said Copelin.
Engineers will also do inspections while the canal is empty and some repairs will be made where necessary.
