Tulsa Residents Should Conserve Water To Avoid Rationing

Even with some showers, Green Country is still running dry and that puts a strain on water usage.

Right now, Claremore is under a voluntary water rationing.

So, will Tulsa have to follow suit?

Last summer Tulsa was under voluntary rationing after the city lost a few of its larger water lines to the intense heat.

So far this year, the city hasn't experienced any major issues and said it's keeping up with the demand for water.

The grass is green and freshly cut at Erik Testa's home in Tulsa.

He spent Thursday helping his mom with yard work, a chore he's gotten used to over the summer.

"We water once a week, we mow once a week," Testa said.

And while keeping a green lawn is important, Testa said he's always mindful of how much water he's using.

"We just try to make it quick and make sure it just gets enough of what it needs. We don't want to over-water it because we don't want to waste any," Testa said.

7/25/2012 Related Story: City Of Claremore Having Water Pressure Problems Due To Heat

Bob Brownwood, with Tulsa Public Works said, more and more, Tulsans must be getting that same message.

"Compared to last year, we're about right at average, maybe a little bit more than average, than we have done the last five years," Brownwood said.

Average is about 165 million gallons of water.

The public works facility would have to push out 197 million gallons for two consecutive days before asking residents to voluntarily ration water use.

This year, the plant pushed out its max amount of water on Monday, at nearly 190 million gallons.

"We got hit really hard in the morning with a lot of demands, but after that we were able to turn some of our pumps off and slow down our system a bit," Brownwood said.

For the most part, Brownwood said there's no cause for concern, as long as residents, like Testa, continue to watch and use their water wisely.

"If everyone just watched the water and what they did with it, we'd be all right," Testa said.

Everyone can play a small part in conserving an entire city's water.

Brownwood said Tulsa has not issued a mandatory water rationing order in at least 10 years.