Cherokee Nation, Welch Partner On Town's Water Study

The Cherokee Nation and the town of Welch are working together on a study to help provide healthier drinking water for residents in town.

The tribe secured $10,000 through Indian Health Service to assist the town with a $40,000 study. A city grant will fund the remaining costs.

A Colorado-based company will use equipment to filter out radium from the town's water source. The system has been used in other states but is untested in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will monitor the three-month study.

The town of Welch and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality have entered into a consent agreement requiring Welch to remove elevated levels of radium in its water supply.