City Of Claremore Having Water Pressure Problems Due To Heat

The city of Claremore asked residents to voluntarily conserve water Wednesday.

Although it's only voluntary rationing, Claremore leaders say it could become a health and public safety concern if water pressure gets too low.

If the pressure in the water towers gets too low, the city will be forced to issue a boil order.

Some areas of Claremore are already suffering.

Sam Bethea lives on the west side of Claremore by the two water towers having the most trouble with low water pressure.

In the peak hours, Bethea sometimes has no water.

"Missed a shower last night and this morning, but it just happened to be right when I was needing it, and then leaving this morning. It hasn't been too bad, and I know they are working hard," Bethea said.

Claremore spokesperson Cassie Woods said the city flooded residents with automated calls, asking for voluntary water rationing for the time being.

"This is just more of a proactive precaution to say, ‘Hey, this is what you can do to prevent these problems from happening,'" Woods said.

The problem is not the level of Claremore Lake, but several crippling water line breaks caused by the heat that drained the towers.

Claremore's water treatment plant is meeting demand, but a few days of conserving would let the towers refill and restore water pressure.

Residents are asked to cut back on outdoor watering from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"Other problems that can come from this are, if we don't have enough pressure in a fire hydrant and a house catches fire, it becomes a public safety hazard," Woods said.

Bethea hopes a little sacrifice will go a long way.

"You can't ask a certain percentage of anybody to take the load, so we all need to chip in and do our part," Bethea said.

The city says if voluntary cutbacks don't work, tougher measures may be next.

Along with outdoor watering, Claremore residents are also asked to avoid washing their vehicles outside and filling up pools.

The city will reevaluate the situation on Monday.