OWRB: Oklahoma needs up to $90 billion in water infrastructure improvements
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Officials are sharing more information on the water shortage response in the Seminole County town of Sasakwa.
The town had an emergency water well drilled after months of issues.
The town is taking samples from the well, which the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will review before the new water source is put on line.
For the past month or so, Sasakwa residents only had running water every other day, according to Sasakwa Mayor Brenda Myrick. She shared on Wednesday that those restrictions have since ended.
In July, Fox 25 talked with residents to see how they were managing during the shortage. According to resident Clarissa Mustain-Vandusen, "We limit our cooking, our laundry, our bathing."
Julie Cunningham, executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, explained some of the challenges facing small communities like Sasakwa.
"With these aging infrastructures, the problem really is... these pipes start leaking. They're old. And you don't notice them... sometimes these communities know where all their piping even is," shared Cunningham.
During an Oklahoma Senate Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Fundingon Wednesday, lawmakers discussed water infrastructure needs facing the state.
According to an OWRB estimate, the state needs up to $90 billion in water infrastructure improvements.
Cunningham shared that, "There's a lot of need out there. There's an opportunity here to address some of that need."
On Jul. 26, Sasakwa put out a precautionary boil advisory. That notice is still in place, according to ODEQ.
Regarding further steps concerning water needs in the state, Cunningham added that, "Through the next water plan, we're really hoping to get a good inventory of exactly what those needs are."
Fox 25 reached out to ODEQ for comment on the emergency situation in Sasakwa. ODEQ shared the following information:
A precautionary boil advisory was issued by the town on 6/29/22 and is still in place.
DEQ received a complaint regarding low water pressure in the middle of June. A Notice of Violation (NOV) was issued August 2nd and a Consent Order is currently being discussed with the Town. These enforcement documents can help the town secure funding as well as inform them of the corrective actions needed to be taken to address their issues.
The town was invited to the Funding Agency Coordination Team meeting last week that includes a variety of funding agencies. They were presented with multiple funding options to pursue to correct the long term issues with the system.
Approval was given on August 2nd. In emergency situations, DEQ will allow systems to complete emergency construction projects without a permit so long as the work completed is eventually permitted through an 'as built' permit.
Seminole Nation is funding the construction of the emergency well
The town has taken their own samples that DEQ will review before the well is put on line.
DEQ will be guiding the Town towards correction of its problems through its formal enforcement process and by assisting the Town with building its capacity and with seeking funding.
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