Cushing Faces Water Crisis As Flooding Damages Treatment Facility

The City of Cushing says the water supply is quickly running out after flooding damaged the water treatment facility, which prevented clean water from being produced. People are being asked to conserve water however they can, and concern is growing because the city is unsure how fast repairs can be made.

The city is asking all non-essential businesses to stop using water. Many restaurants in town have closed, but others are staying open because they say their stores are their livelihood.

“If we’re not boiling the water, then we’re using the five-gallon purified water,” said Geoff Beasley, owner of Godofredo’s Pizzeria & Tap Room.

The counters in Beasley’s restaurant are piled with two liters and cans of soda. Keeping the doors open is his goal.

“We have 96 employees, so not only is it important that we provide for the community, but it’s also important that we continue to put food on the table for those employees,” said Beasley.

Lauri Hazelton is in a similar situation as the owner of a hair and nail salon. She and her employees are doing their best to follow the city’s request to conserve water.

“We’re going to power through it and try to keep our doors open because we’ve got to work,” said Hazelton.

The city declined a request from News On 6 to interview about the issues. However, in social media posts, the city says there is no timetable on when the water plant will be up and running again.

In the meantime, the city says it is relying on water left in the tank, but the demand is quickly outpacing the supply.

Business owners like Beasley are preparing for the worst.

“We look at it like, when the water runs out—which we think the water probably will run out—we’ll be transitioning to our food truck, which is a fully mobile unit,” he said.

The first day of school was supposed to be on Thursday for Cushing students but has been pushed back to August 15th because of the water issues.