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Tulsa Water

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Tulsa Water History Video
Treating Tulsa's Water

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.

NEW! 2010 Eucha/Spavinaw Report

City of Tulsa Lake Eucha and Spavinaw Water Quality Report

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.

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