GRDA Update
February 19, 2019
Grand River Dam Authority Police Department
EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police Dispatch 918-256-0911
Organizing Special Events on GRDA Lakes, Rivers and Properties
There is no doubt that the lakes, rivers and off-road areas of GRDA are a terrific place to hold special events. Whether you want to hold a concert on the water, a rock-crawling event, boat race or fireworks show, the first step in organizing your event is to contact GRDA Police to begin the process. We certainly encourage events that serve as the catalyst to welcome economic development and tourism in our communities, but there are certain protocols that must be followed to lawfully hold these events on state owned GRDA waters and properties.

The Administrative Regulations of GRDA require that “No person, firm, partnership, corporation or other entity shall perform any activity which requires a permit prior to the issuance of the permit by GRDA.” This includes Sanctioned Events that are defined as “ any organized event which has been permitted by GRDA that occurs on the waters and lands of GRDA, including, but not limited to, regattas, motorboat or other boat races, marine parades, tournaments, fishing tournaments, "poker" runs, motorized rock-climbing, fireworks displays, concerts and other exhibitions. No sanctioned event shall be held without a written permit issued by GRDA prior to the event.”

If you are organizing any type of event that is marketed, promoted and open to the public to attend and/or occur on the lakes, rivers or lands owned by GRDA, then it would be considered a Sanctioned Event and may require a Special Event permit from the GRDA Police. The permit requirement is in place to notify us of the event so we can assign staffing, equipment and other resources needed to ensure a safe environment is maintained for the attendees and the general public. Private events or those that occur on private property would not be required to have a GRDA permit. Just keep in mind that many areas of land that surround the lakes and rivers are GRDA properties, so know who owns the property where you plan to hold the event.

The Special Event permit process is relatively simple, that begins by completing a Special Event Permit application that can be found on our website at grda.com in the Lakes/Rivers tab, in the Permits section. The permit application requires a $100 permit application fee for processing and planning costs. We also recommend that you submit a detailed narrative description of the plans for your event, a schedule for the event, and a map, drawing or satellite image of the area where you plan to hold the event with the details of where the activities will take place on the image.

Approved Special Events may be required to have a general liability insurance policy written on the occurrence with a minimum liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence to provide coverage for bodily injury, personal injury, death, and property damage, for which the Applicant may be held liable. GRDA must also be an additional insured on the policy. The insurance requirement will provide needed insurance protection in the event of damage, injury or death resulting from or occurring during your event. Many insurance companies can provide this type of temporary event coverage. Contact your local insurance provider for details.

Once your event application has been approved, GRDA Police will help you with the planning and promotion of the event. We will also notify police personnel about your event and assign officers to be present in vehicles, boats or UTV’s at the event, as needed. We can also deploy other resources including aircraft, fire and EMS, special event buoys and other equipment for the event. This is typically done at no additional cost to the Applicant. Our goal is simply to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable event.

If you have any questions regarding holding a special event on GRDA properties, contact us at 918-256-0890 or email ed.ferguson@grda.com .
Officers Recognized for Lifesaving Efforts
Several GRDA Police officers and a civilian nurse were recently honored at the GRDA Board of Director’s meeting in Tulsa for meritorious work in the performance of their duties.

On September 1, 2018 Officers Billy Blackwell & Paul Mader were notified by dispatch of a drowning upstream from Stunkard Public Access on the Illinois River. Upon arrival they were informed that a male had been under water for approximately 5 minutes before he was located and pulled to the surface and was not breathing. Officers Blackwell & Mader entered the river and went upstream approximately 75 yards to the victims location and immediately loaded the victim onto a kayak and began CPR while bringing him down to the landing. Once at the landing, they continued CPR and administered an airway on the unresponsive patient. Once EMS arrived they took over CPR and Officer Blackwell stayed with them to assist as needed. Due to the quick response of Officer Blackwell and Officer Mader, the victim did regain a pulse and was transported to a Tulsa hospital with hopes he would recover, but unfortunately expired days later. Because the actions of Officer Blackwell and Officer Mader gave the victim a second chance at life, they were awarded an agency Lifesaving Award.

On May 26, 2018 Officers Billy Blackwell & Terry Combs were notified of a possible drowning at the Diamond Head Resort Cut of the Illinois River. When they arrived at the scene they discovered a male adult siting in a tripod position in swift water opposite of the Diamond Head Resort bank. Officers Blackwell and Combs were able to get to the victim, and discovered he was struggling to breathe. Officers immediately secured the victim to a kayak in order to float him across the swift stream to awaiting EMS personnel. After securing him to the kayak, inexperienced bystanders attempted to rapidly pull the kayak across the river by rope, swamping the kayak, causing the victim to fall off of the kayak face down into the swift water. Without any concern for their own safety, Officers Blackwell and Combs while in full uniform, swam approximately 100 yards downstream in swift water to secure the victim and keep him face up until they reached the bank and could be pulled out of the water. The victim at that time was completely unresponsive and appeared to not be breathing. On scene EMS personnel took over treatment for the victim, who was immediately flown by helicopter to Tulsa. Had it not been for the actions of Officers Blackwell and Combs, without hesitation or fear for their own safety, it is very likely that the 20 year old victim would have not survived. For their distinguished service and devotion to duty, Officers Blackwell and Combs were awarded an agency Meritorious Service Award.

On December 26, 2018 Officer Cody Marquis was travelling on State Highway 20 west of the City of Pryor when he arrived on the scene of a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a motorcycle. Officer Marquis immediately recognized that the rider of the motorcycle was unconscious and critically wounded. Without hesitation he put his medical training to use to begin stabilizing and provide immediate support to preserve the patient’s life. Officer Marquis was assisted in these efforts by a nurse that had stopped at the scene, Katie Thompson, RN. Officer Marquis remained calm while treating the victim and simultaneously directed additional personnel and equipment to the scene, which included the need to close the highway and land a medical helicopter at the scene. Because of the efforts put forth by Marquis and Thompson, the victim of the collision is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries. The GRDA Police awarded Officer Marquis and Katie Thompson, RN with an agency Lifesaving Award.

It is with great honor that the GRDA Police recognize our officers and others that are willing to put the lives of others before their own.
GRDA Police officers Paul Mader and Billy Blackwell recently received an agency Lifesaving Award for their attempts to save a drowning victim on the Illinois River.
GRDA Police Chief Brian Edwards (left) and GRDA CEO Dan Sullivan (far right) recognized Officer Cody Marquis and Katie Thompson, RN at a recent GRDA Board of Director's meeting for their efforts in providing medical care to an injured crash victim.
Officers Terry Combs and Billy Blackwell received an agency Meritorious Service Award for saving a victim from potential drowning on the Illinois River last year.
Public Meeting Scheduled
for Regulation Changes
The Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) will hold a public meeting on Friday, March 1st at 7:00 PM at the GRDA Ecosystems & Education Center, 420 E Hwy 28, Langley, OK 74350. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain public comments regarding the proposed changes of the Title 300, Chapter 35, Lake Rules. The proposed changes can be found at www.grda.com. If you would like to submit written comments or have any questions, please contact Brian Edwards, Executive Vice President-Chief of Law Enforcement and Lake Operations at PO Box 70, Langley OK 74350 or 918-256-0880.

The proposed changes to the regulations can be viewed at the below link.
Online Payment Available
GRDA customers are now able to pay for any lake-related activities online via credit card by visiting

If you’d like to have a payment option added, contact GRDA Financial Utility Analyst Savannah Ellison at 918-256-5545 ext 40654 or sellison@grda.com.
Did You Know?

Hypothermia can set in if a person is exposed to water less than 70 degrees for too long. The  bod y cools 25 times faster in cold water  than in cold air.

GRDA Postponing Documentary Premier

Due to a winter weather forecast for the Grand Lake area today, the Grand River Dam Authority is postponing the premiere event for its new documentary, Our Borrowed Water , scheduled for this evening at the GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center in Langley.

The event will be moved to a later date, which will be made public as soon as it is scheduled.

Two other premiere events are still planned for next week. On Monday, February 25, the documentary will be shown in the Webb Building Auditorium at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. On Tuesday, February 26, GRDA will show the documentary in the student union (room 510-511) on the University of Arkansas campus. Both events are open to the public and begin at 6:30PM.

Entitled Our Borrowed Water , the film takes a closer look at some of the issues surrounding these waters while also illustrating their value through the eyes of those who depend on them for work and play. The film does all of this against a backdrop of stunning visuals along Grand Lake and the Illinois River.
 
With roughly 70,000 surface acres of lakes under its control, as well as the waters of the scenic Illinois River, GRDA is second only to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) in terms of jurisdiction over state waters. GRDA’s ongoing efforts to protect and preserve these waters is evident in many ways, including the work conducted in its water research laboratories, its public outreach programs and ongoing partnerships with other resource agencies across a four-state region.
GRDA Buoy Guide
"Updates" on the Web

Did you not receive our latest GRDA Update? Do you have a friend that wants to see our Updates? You can now go to our website at GRDA.com to view the latest edition of GRDA Police Updates. Go to the Lakes/River tab, open the GRDA Police tab and click on the GRDA Police Update for the latest version of our email release.
Boating Tips From the GLPS

Onshore and offshore local winds can be caused by the differences in the air temperature over the land and water. Onshore sea breezes are formed as the warm air rises above the land drawing in the cooler air from over the water. As the land temperature increases in the afternoon, the velocity of the wind will also increase.

During the night and early morning just the opposite will occur with the wind direction. The land cools and the warmer air over the water will rise drawing the cooler air that is over the land creating offshore wind.

Interested in becoming more confident in your boating skills? Boat Smart from the start and take a course from America’s Boating Club, the United States Power Squadrons. For local information visit our website at: usps.org/grandlake or on Face Book at GLPS.
NAV TIME
A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips
That All Boat Operators Should Know
Required Equipment: Navigation Lights
The required navigation lights must be displayed between sunset and sunrise and during periods of restricted visibility.

Power-Driven Vessels When Underway
If less than 65.6 feet long, these vessels must exhibit the lights as shown below. Remember, power-driven vessels include sailboats operating under engine power.
The required lights are:
  • Red and green sidelights visible from a distance of at least two miles away—or if less than 39.4 feet long, at least one mile away—on a dark, clear night.
  • An all-round white light or both a masthead light and a sternlight. These lights must be visible from a distance of at least two miles away on a dark, clear night. The all-round white light (or the masthead light) must be at least 3.3 feet higher than the sidelights.
  • The masthead light and sternlight may be combined as an all-round white light on vessels less than 39.4 feet long.

Register for the Rush for Brush events at
Do you have a Special Event Planned? 
PLEASE let us know about your lake or river events so we can provide the resources you may need to make it a positive experience!
2019 Special Events Schedule
March 1-2: Baja Disney, Pensacola Dam Off-road area
March 2: Welcome Back Weekend Poker Run, Arrowhead Yacht Club
March 7-10: Grove Boat Show, Grove Expo Center
March 16: GRDA Boater Safety Class, ECO & EDU Center, Langley
March 21-24: John Sumner’s Big Meat Run, Pensacola Dam Off-road area
March 23: Rush for Brush, Grove, Wolf Creek Park
2019 Fishing Tournaments
Numbers to Call:
GRDA Police Dispatch                                                918-256-0911
GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center             918-782-4726
GRDA Lake Permits                                                     918-256-0852
                    E-mail: lakepermits@grda.com
GRDA Pensacola Dam Tours & Facility Information    918-256-0899
Emergency Call 911