Pittsburg County Family Struggling To Run Farm Facing 4th Day Without Water

A Pittsburg County family has been without water since Monday, and their faucets are still dry Thursday night. It’s a problem affecting a lot of families in the rural water district.

Their problems actually start in McAlester which provides water to their rural district. Major line breaks across the city have made everyday life across the county much more difficult.

Kim Ellis said her biggest concern is her two-year-old granddaughter.

"You know it's just kind of the unknown right now. How long are we gonna be without water?" she said.

Ellis said she's been asking that question since Monday.

McAlester's Mayor John Browne is also out of water and said crews have been working to find the cause.

"We're working under the presumption that there's a big leak somewhere," Browne said. "However we have been able to locate 21 other leaks."

A huge leak spilling more than 1,000 gallons per minute at one point drained the supply. It reduced the city to a trickle and dried out Ellis' farm completely.

"I know people around us that are having to melt the snow, because the water you've saved up is only gonna last so long," Ellis said

Browne said crews were able to find a leak in a 12-inch water pipe Thursday evening. He said this could be the large leak they've been looking for, but he's still asking people to conserve water while crews fix the leak.