ALTUS, Okla_Altus residents are
under a mandatory water conservation order. Emergency management officials say Friday
morning a valve on an underground pipe that transfers water from their main
water source of Tom Steed Lake
in Kiowa County broke. The valve has been
replaced but officials say there are some tests that still need to be done
before they can say the pipe is completely fixed.
Altus Emergency
Manager Lloyd Colston said at this time there is no telling when pipes will be
fully functional again. For now he's urging people to strongly adhere to the
mandatory water conservation order.
Some residents
in Altus may
have received this message on their phone or through e-mail from Altus Emergency
Management informing them the city is under mandatory water conservation.
"In Oklahoma
we are in a part in the state that has an extreme drought and, as you're aware,
on the other side of the state where they have water and trees they're getting
more water for their trees because of Hurricane Isaac we aren't getting that
this far west," Colston said, "use the water that you need to use but use
it wisely."
This morning an
underground pipe broke just three miles west of Tom Steed Reservoir in Kiowa County.
Adding to their problems, even with the valve replaced, the pipe that leads to Altus must fill with
water again and then the supply that has been drained at the water towers must
be filled. He said there is not telling how long that will take.
"All the
more reason to conserve if you don't have to use water. Certainly you want to
use it for cooking and washing your mouth out but if you can postpone your
other water use that would be a thing to do."
Altus water
officials said until the pipes are fixed Altus Reservoir will be the city's main
water source. They say the drought has definitely affected how much water is
left in the reservoir and its condition. So people will definitely smell a
slight odor and get a bitter taste when they turn on their faucets to use this
water.
Altus resident Cindy
Burns came out to take pictures of the reservoir's current condition, after
receiving the emergency management's message through a text on her phone.
"It's
pretty concerning considering that the reservoir is pretty low and it's got
algae in it or appears to. I don't know where they're going to get the water
from there's not enough to ration from."
She said she
understands because the drought hasn't been too kind to Southwest
Oklahoma so far.
"It's put
a number on everybody considering you look at cotton crops and they're next to
nothing and they usually pull from Lake
Lugert and there's not
enough water there either. I'm not sure what everybody's going to do, we just
pray for rain."
This is the
second time this year the city has had to rely on Altus Reservoir which is very
low these days. The emergency order means no one is allowed to water outside
from 8 in the morning until 6 at night.
Emergency
management crews say they will be talking to Lugert Altus
Lake officials sometime
next week. They want to see if the city can receive any water from there as
well, for the time being.
