Initiatives

Water Quality

Water is Life. Water covers two-thirds of the Planet Earth, and makes up nearly two-thirds of our bodies. And there is no new water! All the water on the planet is constantly being recycled. We must take care of this resource.

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.

Pipes bring raw water from our source lakes Eucha, Spavinaw, Oologah and Hudson.

Tulsa's two water treatment plants treat between 90 and 190 million gallons of drinking water a day. 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.

Water Quality

Stormwater Education

City of Tulsa drainage systems are maintained regularly to help prevent water from backing up into streets and homes. If you spot a blocked drain or see illegal development in a flood zone, call 596-2100, and an inspector will investigate.

Reminder: Don't pollute! Do NOT pour used motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, fertilizers or other pollutants down the storm drainage system. Storm drains are NOT part of the sewer system. All storm sewers in Tulsa drain directly into the waters of the Arkansas River or Bird Creek. These drain outlets are monitored regularly after rain events, and checked for pollutants. The generated report is then sent to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, as required by Tulsa's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit.

Putting foreign substances into this system can also cause flooding and is a violation of City ordinance. Such actions are punishable by fines of up to $500 a day. Please do your part and keep the inlets and drainage ways throughout Tulsa clear of brush and debris.

Read more about the storm water aspect of Tulsa's water quality program. The site includes links to tips that tell how to reduce pollution from storm water runoff.

If you see something other than storm water that has been disposed of or dumped into a storm sewer or local water way, please contact the Mayors action line at 596-2100.  Someone will investigate.  Remember, storm drains are for rain.

PACE - Partners for a Clean Environment

Partners for A Clean Environment is a voluntary, non-regulatory program coordinated by the City of Tulsa Public Works Department. The program, which recognizes those who go above and beyond environmental regulations, is administered by the Quality Assurance section of the Environmental Operations Division.

PACE provides free pollution prevention training, public outreach, and technical assistance to those who have made a commitment to the environment. The program's goal is to reduce the use of hazardous materials and the amount of waste from business, government, and household activities that pollute Tulsa's water, land, and air.

PACE serves as an umbrella for a variety of projects and services. It includes the City of Tulsa's Pollution Prevention (P2) Program for businesses, education efforts related to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit aimed at businesses, households, schools and non-profit agencies, tips for water and air quality improvement available on Tulsa's Environmental Network, and the Blue Thumb Business Partners for A Clean Environment program offered jointly with the Tulsa County Conservation District.

Frequent PACE businesses. Look for this decal:

PACE provides free prevention training, public outreach, and technical assistance to those who have made the PACE pledge. PACE is a voluntary program which recognizes those who go above and beyond environmental regulations. Please visit our PACE webpage.

 

For more information contactQuality Assurance (918) 591-4378 or the Pollution Prevention supervisor at (918) 591-4395.

Trap the Grease - Grease Education

Don't pour grease (including salad oil and greasy leftovers) down the sink drain! If you do, you could be on your way to a major plumbing expense!

Although grease from your skillet or fryer may be runny when hot, not long after it touches the sides of your cool pipes it thickens and eventually begin to collect along the length of your sewer pipe and onto every clump of anything (food debris, hair, etc.) that may be in your pipe. Eventually, your drain is clogged.

By following a few simple steps, you can help prevent costly sewage overflows in the future.

Step 1
All fats, oils and grease should be poured into a coffee can, or other durable container, and disposed of in the trash can, not down the drain.

Step 2
Dishes and pots that are coated with greasy leftovers, should be wiped clean with a paper towel before washing or placing in dishwasher. Toss the paper towel in the trash can.

Step 3
Scrape all scraps into the trash. Don't put any scraps in the garbage disposal. Dispose of them in the trash can or compost.

Important Facts

  • Cooking grease coats pipelines in a way similar to the way that fatty foods clog human arteries. The grease clings to the inside of the pipe, eventually causing complete blockage.

  • Grease should NEVER be poured down the drain. Running hot water and pouring detergent down the drain only break up grease temporarily. As the grease moves through the pipe, it separates from the water and begins to coat the pipe.

  • Flushing grease down the toilet also causes sewer blockages.

Recycle large amounts of waste cooking oil
at M.e.t. locations:

6606 E. 81st
open 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily

3495 S. Sheridan
open 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily

3720 E. Admiral Pl.
open 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily

or drop off at the next Household Pollution Collection Event held each year in the spring and fall. For more information, contact the M.e.t. at (918) 584-0584

Report Sewage Overflows

If you see, hear or smell something you think might be a sewer overflow, report it immediately by calling (918) 669-6100. A Customer Service employee and City crew is available 24 hours. Be prepared to describe the location.

For more information on the Grease Program for Businesses, contact (918) 591-4395 or email .

More information about Water Quality programs in the Tulsa area can be found on the INCOG website.

Air Quality

Tulsa is a partner in the INCOG Ozone Alert program.Ozone Alert online

The Ozone Alert! Program brings citizens, business, industry and government in the Tulsa Metropolitan area together to voluntarily reduce ozone-forming emissions on days vulnerable to high ozone levels.

  • The City of Tulsa is also a member of the Blue Skyways Collaborative

BlueSkyways Collaborative online

The Blue Skyways Collaborative was created to encourage voluntary air emissions reduction in North America's heartland. The idea started in 2004 and with the help of CenSARA and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the collaborative celebrated a kick-off meeting in February of 2006.

Through partnership with non-profit and environmental groups, private industries and international, federal, state and local governments Blue Skyways strives to improve air quality. Participants of the collaborative pledge to make that goal possible through active and meaningful participation in planning or implementation of projects that use innovations in diesel engines, alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies. Working together allows members to leverage funding, share technology and professional expertise.

Today Blue Skyways incorporates ten states, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico, and the area along the borders with Canada and Mexico. The collaborative envisions a future where organizations will work together to reduce air emissions and make the heartland of America the Central Corridor of Innovation.

Energy Conservation

CNG and Hybrid Vehicles - Green Fleet

Our inventory of vehicles which are either hybrid or use alternative fuel continues to grow. As of July 2009, the City of Tulsa has 115 alternative fuel vehicles either ordered or already in our fleet. Currently we have 8 Honda Civic-GX CNG vehicles, plus three trash trucks.

Our hybrid vehicle fleet now includes One (1) Honda Civic, 77 Ford Escapes, 23 Chevy Silverado Hybrid Pickups and Three (3) Toyota Prius Hybrids.

The city has applied for grants from the EPA and the DOE for monies to help reduce our carbon footprint. In July 2009, we will learn whether the DOE has approved a grant requesting funds to upgrade our existing CNG fueling station and make it possible to dispense CNG to the public.

Meanwhile, we have requested around $235,000 in the 2009-10 budget to upgrade components of this CNG infrastructure.

Finally, the City is pursuing a Third Party contract for CNG. With the addition of our CNG trash trucks, the volume of fuel we are purchasing has reached the threshold which allows us to purchase CNG from a third party instead of directly and to qualify for tax credits. Essentially, this contract will allow us to purchase CNG at a discounted rate which will be equivalent to only about 5 cents per unit for an exceptional cost savings in CNG fuel.

The City will continue to pursue these and other opportunities to conduct business in a more sustainable manner, while also saving taxpayer money.

Mass Transit

Tulsa Transit is a public trust of the City of Tulsa, established in 1968. Tulsa Transit's General Manager, Bill Cartwright, reports to a 7-member board of trustees appointed by the mayor. Tulsa Transit has approximately 170 employees including bus drivers, mechanics and administrative staff.

The mission of Tulsa Transit is to be the Premiere Transportation Provider, Committed to Safe, Professional, Efficient, Reliable, Accessible, Quality Service.

Tulsa Transit's bus service is available throughout the City of Tulsa, and extends into Jenks, Sand Springs and Broken Arrow.Visit the maps section to see our complete system map.There's also a section on using maps to determine your travel plans.If you already know the number of the route you wish to see, click on Routes by Number to view any individual route schedule and map.For trip planning assistance, call 582-2100.

The current schedule book, which includes all our route maps and schedules, is available in print form at one of the bus stations for 50 cents.
Tulsa Transit

GreenTraveler

INCOG's Green Traveler program includes a match program, where City of Tulsa employees can find others traveling the same route to work. Commuting alone can cost time and money. When you become a Green Traveler, you reduce congestion, reduce emissions, reduce stress, and reduce your commuting costs. Green Traveler is a way to find alternatives to driving alone to work, school, and other destinations.

Whether you carpool, ride your bike, or take the bus, all three are easy alternatives you can implement a little at a time.Alternative transportation can provide a lot of savings - just carpooling twice a week would save the average commuter over $1,500 a year!

City employees should access the Green Traveler website through the City of Tulsa intranet pages, which enables the City to calculate fuel savings and emissions reductions by participating employees.

Green Traveler

Recycling

Recycling conserves natural resources, protects the environment and reduces litter. It's easy for all Tulsans to recycle. All City of Tulsa customers with residential trash service can sign up for convenient curbside recycling of newspaper, junk mail, magazines, office paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. Tulsans also can take those and other recyclables to one of the 12 free drop-off sites in the area operated by the Metropolitan Environmental Trust. And, you can recycle many household pollutants at one of the twice annual Household Pollutant Collection events.

The City is dedicated to initiating recycling at all City facilities where City employees work, including fire and police stations. One Technology Center is currently collecting the following items for recycling on every floor of the building: office paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Greening the (918) Series

The Greening the (918) Seminar Series, produced by Sustainable Tulsa and Mayor Taylor's Green Team, continued through September 2009.

These interactive 'Greening the (918)' sessions were designed to inspire organizations and individuals to take action and to lead the city to be one of the greenest cities in the nation.  Sean Griffin moderated and graphically facilitated the session artistically on panels during the meeting. For each topic, challenges were discussed, as well as what action steps Tulsa must take to overcome these challenges.

More "Greening" sessions may be announced in the future.