The City of Broken Arrow is setting an environmental standard for detention pond development in Oklahoma. The City was awarded the Ronald D. Flanagan Gold Project Award at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association for its efforts.  

This award recognizes Oklahoma communities or agencies that go above and beyond by completing a specific project related to stream restoration, repetitive loss buyouts, green belt creation, and floodplain partnerships.  

Broken Arrow received nods for improvements to the Second Regional Detention Facility at the Park on Florence Street, between Aspen Avenue and Elm Place. In 2020, the City began a cleanup project around the regional detention facility and heard from residents who preferred its natural characteristics.  

“It had become more of a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the detention pond,” Assistant City Manager Kenneth Schwab said.  

The City set out to improve the pond’s stormwater detention capability and preserve the wildlife in and around the pond. To accomplish this goal, the detention pond needed redesigning and reconstructing. Now, two years later, the design is complete, and the City is ready to begin construction. Plans include making the detention pond bigger and more environmentally friendly, with plants incorporated into the design that will flourish in the water.   

“We hope this will be a new standard for us and other communities,” Schwab said. 

On Sept. 5, the Broken Arrow City Council approved the execution of a $323,611 construction contract for the project.