Miami, Oklahoma battles decades of flooding, takes on GRDA

After decades of damaging floods, the city of Miami is ramping up efforts to hold the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) accountable, accusing the agency of keeping lake levels dangerously high and worsening flood risks for the northeast Oklahoma community.

Mayor Bless Parker has made resolving the issue a personal mission, citing both the toll on residents and his own family’s experience with floodwater.

“The first time I flooded, I was 14 years old,” Parker said. “I remember watching my parents walk into that house for the first time after having 3 feet 6 inches of water in their house. It was devastating.”

Miami, a city of roughly 13,000 near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, has flooded hundreds of times since 1985. Officials say the repeated damage has destroyed homes and businesses, stunted economic growth, and endangered lives.

The city has long blamed the GRDA, which manages Grand Lake and the Pensacola Dam just downstream of the Neosho River. City leaders claim the GRDA prioritizes profit over safety by maintaining elevated lake levels, something the Authority denies.

In recent years, Miami has seen a shift in momentum. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which issues GRDA’s operational license, recently ruled the authority was in violation of that license—a development city leaders see as validation.

“They’ve been in violation of that license for decades now and no one’s held them accountable,” said Parker. “If they were operating by the license, there wouldn’t be water in homes and businesses in Miami.”

The GRDA has appealed the decision.

Despite the appeal, Miami City Manager Tyler Cline remains hopeful.

“The last few rulings have been really big for the community, so hopefully we keep that up,” Cline said.

If the legal fight fails, Miami could be forced to make major—and expensive—changes to infrastructure and emergency operations. Cline estimates those efforts could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a staggering sum for a city with a median household income of $45,000 and limited industry.

“When they profit $109 million a year but can’t take care of the people they’re flooding—it’s disgusting,” said Parker.

The GRDA declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

Emergency response has also been impacted. In one instance, Parker said floodwaters isolated parts of the city, turning a six-minute emergency response into a two-hour ordeal.

“It takes a response time of what used to be six minutes and turns it into two hours round trip,” Parker said. “If you're having cardiac arrest, it's going to be too late by the time we get there.”

The city’s wastewater treatment plant has also suffered, occasionally falling out of environmental compliance during major flooding events.

As Miami continues its legal and environmental fight, Parker says the community remains committed to pushing for accountability and change.