New Water Tower Being Built For Rural Water District 3 In Rogers County

A new water tower is being built near Oologah as part of improvements being made to Rural Water District #3, the third largest district in the state.

Leaders in Rural Water District #3 say the new water tower will be a huge improvement. They say their old water tower could hold about 320,000 gallons of water, while this new one can hold about 2 million.

While construction crews work on this water tower, Tacora Hills resident Posie Pfaff has his own projects underway.

"Anything with gadgetometry to it. You know, gadgetometry man, tools, things, machines, anything that's building something," said Pfaff.

In addition to making up his own words, Pfaff loves building things and enjoys having a front-row seat to this large-scale construction site.

"I mean a water tower. Some people think, okay, it's just a water tower, but it's something that functions that makes our life better," said Pfaff.

The new tower is being built with a $20 million loan from the Oklahoma Water Resource Board. It will replace the old one on Oologah Lake, a major source of water for the district.

"I mean, they've been moving pretty quick," said Pfaff.

The project is expected to be done in May of next year, but Pfaff is happy with the progress.

"I'm looking forward to it. They can't get it done fast enough for me."

This water tower isn't the only improvement being made. Plans are also underway to upgrade this water treatment plant, allowing the district to produce more of its own water instead of buying as much from Tulsa.

"Our water supply fluctuates, so I mean that's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to the new tower; I think it's going to keep our water pressures better, it's going to keep our volumes better," says Pfaff.

Until then, there is still plenty of work to be done, like adding new water lines to this tower, which the district says will have to be done by tearing up some of these neighborhood roads.