Broken Bow Lake Boater Survey Completed: Development Moratorium Lifted

Tulsa, Okla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Tulsa District has completed the comprehensive Broken Bow Lake Recreational Boating Survey (RBS). The survey fulfilled a key requirement of the December 2023 Master Plan Update, providing the scientific data necessary to evaluate Broken Bow Lake’s current and future development.

In February 2024, USACE implemented a temporary moratorium on all water-based development. The temporary restriction was established to ensure that future shoreline development would not push boat traffic beyond safe carrying capacity and outside of management objectives. The newly finalized summer 2025 survey conducted by the Center for Environmental Management of Military Land at Colorado State University confirms that Broken Bow Lake currently operates well within safe limits on the water, establishing a baseline for targeted recreation updates and future development reviews.

The RBS for Broken Bow Lake confirms that on-water activities remain safe, with peak boat traffic utilizing only 45% of the lake’s carrying capacity and over 90% of users reporting a safe experience. However, the study highlights critical land-based infrastructure strain, particularly severe parking shortages, with up to 36% of trailers parked illegally on peak days, and high launch congestion concentrated at three major ramps. To resolve these bottlenecks, the path forward focuses on ramp upgrades (such as adding courtesy docks and expanding parking), enforcing parking rules, and launching a public campaign to redistribute launch traffic to underutilized ramps, thereby alleviating land-based crowding while preserving the lake's natural character.

Upon formal review of the RBS findings, USACE has lifted the temporary development moratorium for submitting new lease, sub-lease, or recreational shoreline construction proposals. For additional information or questions regarding the survey results contact USACE at 580-326-3345.

Full boater survey results are available at: https://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Locations/Tulsa-District-Lakes/Oklahoma/Broken-Bow-Lake/

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