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More Water System Failures; City To Open Water Distribution Center For Affected Residents

City of Tulsa
A member of a city water crew responds to a water line break in a video posted to the city's Facebook page on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Update (10:00 a.m.): The city has announced all Tulsa Fire Department stations will be able to provide residents with water from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day until further notice. Residents must bring their own containters.

City of Tulsa officials announced late Wednesday another major disruption in water service for residents, and said they will be opening a distribution center for those without service.

"Slight gains in storage tank levels that were realized this evening were lost when a 30-million-gallon-per-day pump at the Mohawk Water Treatment Plant had to be taken out of service due to a significant leak in the supporting piping," the city said in a news release. "The pump had to immediately be taken out of service and a back-up pump was started. The back-up pump failed to start, and City maintenance staff expects to have the back-up pump back by tomorrow. Some water customers can expect low water pressure through tomorrow until the pump is fully back in service."

 

Meanwhile, at least 1,634 homes were completely without water Thursday morning due to water lines that were shutdown entirely after breaking to preserve water supply. The city will provide water to residents at a "water station" being created at Expo Square.

 

"The Water Station is located at River Spirit Expo, 4145 E. 21st St. and will be open daily from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. until further notice. Residents will be able to pick-up water by entering the south main lobby at Gate 2. Parking will be available near the Tulsa Golden Driller,"the city said.

 

The city said it is not advising residents of any need to boil water before consumption at this time, though that guidance could change.

 

"Though individual service interruptions should be expected for those directly impacted by these waterline breaks, Tulsa residents and those who utilize the city’s water system are asked to conserve water," the city said.

 

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Statement from Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum:

 

"We need your help: all of us in Tulsa have to conserve more water. Crews are shutting down broken lines, but we are still seeing more water go out of our system than is coming into it. This reduces pressure from our system’s storage tanks and can adversely impact water quality throughout our city - not just areas with broken lines.

Tips to conserve water include:

*Don’t use high water-usage appliances, such as your dishwasher and washing machine

*Refrain from taking baths and long showers

*Keep your water usage to consumption only, such as for cooking, getting drinking water, using the toilet, and letting the water drip to keep it circulating in your pipes

The snow has passed and temperatures are starting to slowly climb. Let’s sacrifice for a few more days and get through this."

 

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
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