Multiple Oklahoma Counties Face Water Shortages As Systems Struggle With Demand

Faucets in some areas of Green Country are running dry, as water systems are struggling to meet the demand.

Officials said between burst pipes and residents leaving faucets running at full to prevent freezing, it’s a major challenge in multiple counties. The big culprit is ice.

Mitch Miller went nearly 24 hours without water in Okemah.

"You take it all for granted," Miller said. "Once you don't have it then it's like, 'Oh, wow. I really miss that stuff now.'"

Emergency management crews were able to tide over Miller and a steady flow of several others in Okemah with two backup water tankers.

City Manager Jayne Hughes said a badly frozen treatment pump and broken pipes are to blame.

"So we came out to the pump house at the lake. Lo and behold - it had frozen over," she said.

Bryan Dudley, the Okmulgee Water Treatment Plant Operations Director is also struggling to keep up.

"We're running the plant as hard as we can. Those far ends of the system, they're the ones right now really feeling the squeeze," he said.

Dudley said the cold snapped water lines all across the county, which drained water storage and dropped pressure. He said the other issue is the number of people choosing to run taps wide-open instead of just a steady trickle to avoid frozen pipes.

"It's good water going down the drain, definitely don't need to be running faucets full blast like we've had reports of. You're just throwing money down the drain," Dudley said.