Broc Bowman, foreground, maintenance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, and Randi Clifton, park ranger, USACE, Tulsa District, of the Oologah Lake Project Office, tighten a cargo strap to while setting up forms for a foundation at Oologah Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The Oologah Lake Project Office was constructing a storage building for new stop logs for Oologah Dam. Stop logs are constructed according to each dam's specifications and hold back water so workers can access areas normally below the water's surface during a dewatering.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, Oologah Lake Project Office laid the foundation for a storage building, at the project office in Oologah, Okla., July 18.

Randi Clifton, right, park ranger, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District holds a brace in place while Broc Bowman, left, maintenance, USACE, Tulsa District, uses a drill to secure it while putting up forms for a foundation at the Oologah Lake Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025.

Broc Bowman, maintenance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, uses a drill to secure a brace against forms while constructing a foundation for a storage shed for new stop logs at the Oologah Lake Project Office, July 18, 2025. Stop logs are used during dewatering to allow dam maintenance and inspections.

The storage building will house new stop logs used that will be used during the next dewatering of Oologah Dam.

Oologah Lake Project Office maintenance worker, Broc Bowman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, drills a brace while constructing a form for a foundation at the Oologah Lake Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The foundation will support a storage building for new stop logs. Stop logs are used to dewater dams during maintenance and inspections. They keep water off of the dam to allow workers to access submerged components.

Broc Bowman, right, maintenance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District drills fastens a brace against forms while Randi Clifton, left, park ranger, USACE, Tulsa District, holds the brace steady, at the Oologah Lake Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The Oologah Project Office is building a foundation for a storage shed to house new stop logs for dewatering and maintenance of Oologah Dam.

Stop logs are used to keep water off of normally submerged areas of a dam during dewatering. Stop logs are often designed and constructed specifically for individual dams. They are placed between the gates and the reservoir on the upstream side of the dam so workers can inspect and replace components.

Broc Bowman, maintenance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, uses a club hammer to drive a stake into the ground while constructing forms for a foundation at the Oologah Lake Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The Oologah Lake Project Office was constructing a foundation for a storage building for new stop logs. Stop logs are used to keep water off of normally submerged sections of a dam during dewatering to allow workers to inspect and perform maintenance of dams.

Broc Bowman, left, maintenance, and George Mayfield, right, secure a brace to forms at the Oologah Lake Project Office, Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The foundation will support a new storage shed for stop logs, which are used during dewatering of dams to allow maintenances.

Oologah Lake Project Office maintenance worker, Broc Bowman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, was joined by Oologah Lake Manager, George Mayfield and Oologah Lake park ranger, Randi Clifton of USACE, Tulsa District.

Broc Bowman, left, maintenance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, and George Mayfield, right, Oologah Lake Project Office manager, USACE, Tulsa, secure a brace to a set of forms while laying a foundation for a storage building for stop logs at the Oologah Lake Project Office, Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. Stop logs hold back water so workers can inspect and perform maintenance on a dam during dewaterings.

George Mayfield, Oologah Lake Project Office manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, uses a club hammer to drive a stake into the ground while constructing forms for a foundation at the Oologah Lake Project Office in Oologah, Okla., July 18, 2025. The project office was constructing a storage building for stop logs that are used to keep water off of a dam during the dewatering process. During a dewatering workers can access areas of the dam that are usually submerged under water and perform inspections and maintenance.

After constructing the forms for the foundation, the team filled it with gravel using heavy equipment.