Tulsa Voluntary Boil Order Trickling Down To Surrounding Communities

The voluntary boil order for Tulsa is causing a trickle effect on districts that rely on the city of Tulsa for water.

There are 12 towns and four counties that rely on Tulsa for some water supply.

"Water supply problems from the people that we buy water from,” Harvey Morris with Creek County Water District Two said.

Morris the district gets its water from Sapulpa, Hayburn Lake, and Tulsa. Morris said they don't get water from within their district, so they rely on those three locations for their supply. He said the concern right now is whether the water is safe to drink.

“When a line breaks and they have to repair it, there is always an issue of bad bacteria getting into the water and that can cause issues,” Morris said.

Tulsa's voluntary boil order is for customers who are seeing discolored water, those who have recently had water service restored after their water was shutoff for waterline repairs, and those who had low water pressure.

"We advise that our customers boil the water for at least a minute for any consumption, that includes brushing your teeth, dinking, cooking,” Clayton Edwards said, Director of Water and Sewer Department in Tulsa.

The city of Sand Springs said they believe their water is safe to consume and have not been notified about a boil advisory.

Staff at Rural Water District Number 4 in Broken Arrow said they only use water from Tulsa during emergencies, so there's not a great need as of now. 

Morris said they are testing their water daily for any bacteria.

Morris said Saturday, with the weather warming up, they do expect to get more water from Sapulpa and Hayburn Lake.