Data Story: City's Water Dashboard Proves Zink Lake Water is Unsafe for People

Charles Pratt speaking to KTUL's Burt Mummolo about the results of his year long analysis of the Zink Lake Water Quality Dashboard

After reviewing a year's worth of water quality tests, it's never been more clear that Zink Lake is unsafe.

Charles Pratt, an electrical engineer and a strong advocate for the river, has been cautioning people since before the lake's opening. Although the city established a water quality dashboard, it merely confirms what Charles and others have been saying—the water isn't safe.

View the data

Charles spent a year analyzing the test data from the city's dashboard to determine if harmful bacteria were affecting the safety of the water. It turns out the water was unsafe for people 72% of the time in the first year, and this figure rose to 92% between May and October, which is when everyone in Oklahoma is out enjoying the water.

Those who are depending on the Water Quality Dashboard to decide if it is safe to go to Zink Lake, need to be aware the results are not updated in real-time. The Lake is tested twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, and posted the following day. By the time you see the latest data, conditions may have already changed, meaning people are still at risk.

The elevated levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) aren't just a good indicator that other harmful bacteria lurk in Zink Lake, they are also a serious public health concern. And yet a statement linked on the Water Quality Dashboard downplays the seriousness of an E. coli infection, noting some strains are harmless but failing to mention other strains are deadly.

While it's true that most people recover from E. coli, in the most serious cases, infection can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which damages blood vessels, causing low platelets, anemia, and kidney failure. It can also harm other organs like the brain and heart with up to 10% of cases resulting in death. Children, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system are especially at risk, which is why we continue to urge people to stay out of Zink Lake.

Check out Charles Pratt's analysis of the Arkansas River water test results from May 2024 to now. Click here to view the PDF file.

Watch KTUL's coverage of the shocking results of the water quality data.