Tulsa Water
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Tulsa's two water treatment plants treat between 90 and 190
million gallons of drinking water a day. City employees' work
begins before the raw water enters the plants and continues long
after the finished water is pumped to faucets in homes, businesses
and schools.
The City of Tulsa supplies drinking water to more than 133,500
metered accounts in the City and more than 500,000 people in the
metropolitan area. Treatment plants, distribution lines, and other
infrastructure have been built and upgraded over the years to keep
pace with Tulsa's growing need for high quality drinking water.
Due to the foresight of City
officials and the support of ratepayers, Tulsa has not been forced
to restrict water use since the summer of 1981. Expansion of
the A.B. Jewell Plant and construction of the new Mohawk Plant
increased Tulsa's treatment capacity to 220 million gallons per day
- well above the record use of 190.56 MGD recorded on July 25,
1999.
The Environmental Operations Division of the Public Works &
Development Department operates the City's water supply lakes,
water treatment plants, and water pipelines. The division
also operates wastewater treatment plants, and wastewater and
stormwater pipelines.
The Water Supply Systems Section of
Environmental Operations has more than 108 full-time equivalent
employees who operate and maintain Tulsa's raw water supply and
water treatment facilities.
The Distribution Systems Section has
more than 204 full-time equivalent employees who manage and
maintain 2,010 miles of underground water lines, and thousands of
valves, water meters, more than 14,000 hydrants, and 11 treated
water storage reservoirs. Operations are controlled from the
South Building at 23rd and Jackson, 918-596-9480.
City of Tulsa Lake Eucha and Spavinaw Lake Water
Quality
Important Numbers:
To report Leaks or Outages, call:
918-596-9488
For Billing Department or New
Connection, call: 918-596-9511
To arrange for a speaker to talk
about Tulsa Water at your next club or organization meeting, call:
Kerry Rowland at 596-9847.
TULSA'S DRINKING WATER FACTS
Raw Water
Tulsa's raw water is transported
from Spavinaw/Eucha and Oologah Lakes. Lake Hudson, located just
north of Locust Grove, provided water in late 2000 and early 2001
and is available for future use.
The first Spavinaw flowline is 54
inches and 60 inches in diameter and is 53.9 miles long. The
second flowline from Spavinaw ranges from 66 inches to 72 inches in
diameter and is 52.2 miles long.
The first Oologah flowline is 42
inches in diameter and runs 16.7 miles to the 66-inch Bird Creek to
Lynn Lane pipeline that is 7.9 miles long. The second Oologah
flowline is 54 inches-72 inches in diameter and is 22.87 miles
long.
Raw water is stored in Yahola Lake
(2.0 billion-gallon capacity) near Mohawk Water Treatment Plant and
Lynn Lane Reservoir (1.1 billion gallon capacity) near A.B. Jewell
Water Treatment Plant.
Treated Water
The Mohawk Water Treatment Plant,
3600 E. Mohawk Boulevard, went online in the spring of 1998.
The new plant has a 100-MGD treatment capacity, 10-MGD more than
the old plant that was built in the 1920s.
A.B. Jewell Water Treatment Plant,
18707 E. 21st Street, was built in 1974. In 1982, the plant
was expanded to treat 90 MGD. It currently has the capacity
to treat 120 MGD.
Pumpage
-
Average daily pumpage during 2008- 91.39 MGD (million gallons
per day)
-
Total pumpage during 2008- 36,738,530,000 gallons (>36.7
billion gallons)
-
Highest average monthly pumpage during 2008- 134.86 MGD in
August
-
Lowest average monthly pumpage during 2008- 82.92 MGD in
March
Usage
Maximum historical use -- 190.56 MGD
on July 25, 1999
Maximum historical day pumpage
--192.09 on Aug. 10, 2006
Tulsa Water Questions
What is the hardness of my
water?
The hardness of water depends on which plant serves your
residence. You can check the water service area map to if
A.B. Jewell or Mohawk Water Treatment Plant supplies your
water. The average hardness for A.B. Jewell runs 8.2
grains per gallon or 140 parts per million. The average
hardness for Mohawk runs 5.2 grains per gallon or 89 parts per
million.
What lakes supply the Water
Treatment Plants?
Lake Eucha and Spavinaw supply Mohawk. Lake Oologah supplies
A.B. Jewell.
I have seen the news reports
about the chicken litter polluting our water supply. How does
the litter pollute?
The main pollutant from the chicken litter is phosphorous, which
runs off from the soil when it rains. Phosphorous acts like a
fertilizer so when it gets into the lakes it causes algae
blooms. When the algae dies it produces a chemical called
Geosmin. Geosmin gives the water a musty smell and taste.
Is the water still safe to drink?
Yes, the water is treated to meet and exceed all federal, state,
and local water quality requirements. Recently, the water
treatment plants have installed granular activated carbon
(GAC). This carbon improves the taste and smell of the
water. Geosmin is not harmful it is found in high
concentration in beats. When you cook beets they give off the
same earthy, musty smell. The City of Tulsa also continuously
monitors pH, turbidly, chlorine, and other water quality tests
every 4 hours. The distribution is tested with 200 samples
per month.
How much water can the Water Treatment Plants
produce?
On average we treat 100 MGD. Can go up to 220
MGD. AB Jewell can treat 120 MGD and Mohawk 100 MGD.
Drinking water looks cloudy when first taken from a
faucet what cause this?
The cloudy water is cause by air bubbles in the water similar to
the gas bubbles in carbonated soft drinks. Take a glass of
water and see if it clears up from the bottom to the top. If
it clears up this way then you know it is air bubbles.
Cloudiness occurs more often in the winter when the water is
cold.
Why is my drinking water reddish or
brown?
The reddish-brown color is nontoxic, but it can stain clothing in
the wash and it looks bad. The possible causes are
- Iron, found in the water pipes in the street leading to your
home or in your home may be rusting creating rusty-brown
water.
- The hot water tank may be rusting.
- Road construction or water line repairs can knock particles
inside the pipe loose.
If you are having trouble and your neighbors are not then your
own pipes or water heater probably are rusting. Letting the
water run a while will often clear the water.
What is the white film on my coffee pot and on my
dishes? How do I get rid of it?
This is caused by the "hardness" of the water. Two nontoxic
chemicals called minerals - calcium and magnesium, cause the
hardness. The minerals dissolve in water tend to settle our
when water is heated or are left behind when it evaporates.
These minerals are white and accumulate in coffee pots, showerhead,
and other dishes. To remove these minerals use vinegar or
lemon juice to clean and then rinse thoroughly.
What causes little black flecks to come out of my
tap?
The lining from a bitumen-lined main or plumbing may have
started to break down. Granular particles that smear when
rubbed between your fingers may be small pieces of rubber that are
"sloughing off" from rubber parts/hoses in contact with your water
over time. Sources of these include the reservoir plug in the
toilet water tank and black rubber tubing (often with a steel
braided outer covering) that is sometimes used in sink
fixtures. Some types of jacketed black rubber hose (Aqua-Flo)
may deteriorate in the presence of chlorinated or chloraminated
water.
Designated Tulsa Water spokespersons:
-
Bob Brownwood, Water Supply Systems Manager, 918-596-9848
-
Rick Caruthers, Distribution Systems Manager, 918-596-9480
-
Clayton Edwards, Deputy Director, Environmental Operations,
918-596-7810
For
water service or billing questions, call 918-596-9511 or visit
Utility Billing online
