City of Tulsa to Participate in Imagine a Day Without Water October 21

10/18/2021

The City of Tulsa is participating in the national advocacy movement Imagine a Day Without Water October 21, 2021.  

On this day across the country, more than 1,000 organizations, corporations and environmental advocates are joining together to educate the nation on how essential water and wastewater services are to communities and the importance of investment.    

The focus of this year’s event is to invite people to learn more about where our water comes from and where our wastewater goes.  

In Tulsa, the City’s Water & Sewer Department is responsible for the lifecycle of Tulsa’s water, which begins at area lakes, continues with treatment and distribution to customers, and finishes at Tulsa’s sewer collection system where the wastewater is treated before being discharged back into area rivers – all while being tested and monitored numerous times throughout the process.  

“Tulsa is fortunate to have a plentiful supply of good, reliable water, as well as one of the nation’s top water systems to make sure we have that water when we need it,” said Clayton Edwards, Water & Sewer Department Director. “Even though we can’t see the pipes and sewers beneath our feet, high-quality water service is a critical part of our community. Our City employees do an incredible job of caring for this system that contributes to the health, economic prosperity and enhanced quality of life for all of us.” 

The Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority is a public trust organization created by the City charter and responsible for water and sewer policy matters by managing, constructing and maintaining Tulsa's water and sanitary sewer systems. 

Here are a few important facts about Tulsa’s water and wastewater: 

• The City of Tulsa supplies on average 103 million gallons of drinking water each day to more than 500,000 people in the metropolitan area through 2,237 miles of water lines. Mohawk and A.B. Jewell treatment plants, distribution lines, and other infrastructure are in place to help keep pace with Tulsa's growing need for high quality drinking water.   
• On the wastewater side, Tulsa treats on average 55 million gallons of wastewater each day.  
• There are 2,010 miles of underground trunk and collection system sewer lines in Tulsa, and 62 lift stations that move the water to four major treatment plants – Northside, Southside, Haikey Creek and Lower Bird Creek. 

According to the 2021 Value of Water Index, 83 percent of Americans said ensuring a stable supply of water should be a top federal priority. They also ranked addressing water contamination and investing in infrastructure as top priorities.

To learn more about the City of Tulsa’s water and wastewater systems, visit www.tulsawater.com. For more information about Imagine a Day Without Water, visit http://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/.