Testing Confirms Oklahoma City’s Water Remains Safe

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

February 20, 2021

Water quality testing from 55 sites in areas affected by water service interruption confirmed the City of Oklahoma City’s water remains safe for drinking. The Utilities Department voluntarily conducted additional bacteriological testing in areas impacted by extremely low water pressure or no water service.

The precautionary, voluntary boil advisory issued for customers affected by the outage will expire on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 10 p.m. The advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution after a statewide recommendation from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

“Oklahoma City’s water is safe, Utilities Director Chris Browning” said. “Our water is continuously tested in accordance with EPA and DEQ standards. As an extra precaution, we voluntarily tested 55 sites in areas within our system where there was extremely low pressure or no water service this week. The test results confirm our water meets safety and quality standards.”

The DEQ recommends customers flush their water after the voluntary boil order has expired. If you experience discolored water, run the faucet until water runs clear. For other recommendations, visit okc.gov/utilities.

Continue to conserve water

Customers still need to curb water use. Both water treatment plants are pumping at maximum wintertime capacity. As a result, some water storage tanks are not refilling, causing lower than normal pressure for customers.

As temperatures rise, customers should turn off dripping faucets. Conservation efforts will help alleviate demand on the system and allow our storage tanks to refill, so water pressure returns to normal levels.

Line maintenance crews continue working day and night to repair water main breaks and leaks and shut off water for customers with burst water pipes.

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.