Stage 3 Of Water Restrictions Still In Effect For Bartlesville

The city of Bartlesville is hoping more rain will help with its ongoing water shortage.

City leaders said that the overall water supply fell to just under 57 percent last week. This means that the city is still in Stage 3 water restrictions and that outdoor water use is restricted to just one day a week. Even-numbered properties may water on Thursdays, and odd-numbered properties may water on Fridays. Water pressure has also been reduced and there are rate increases in place for customers who use more than 2,000 gallons of water per month.

The city has been struggling with its water supply for several months now. It's due to the drought conditions in Northeast Oklahoma and Southeast Kansas. The water supply comes from places like Hulah Lake and Copan Lake, and there hasn't been enough rain to replenish the water supply. In the meantime, the city is asking residents to conserve as much water as they can.

Bartlesville city leaders said that the city used 5.4 million gallons of water a day last week, but Water Utilities Director, Terry Lauritsen, said that a big factor in the increase in water usage was due to a large water break on June 28th, which he said caused a loss of around 3 million gallons of water in less than an hour.

City leaders hope that more rain can help replenish the water supply, but if there isn't enough rain, the city may enter into Stage 4 water restrictions which would ban all outdoor water use.