Tulsa to Participate in National Drinking Water Week May 2-8, 2021

4/28/2021

National Effort Raises Awareness about the Value of Quality Drinking Water

The City of Tulsa is celebrating National Drinking Water Week May 2-8 to recognize the vital role tap water plays in daily life, the infrastructure that’s required to carry it to and from homes and businesses, and the important and often unnoticed work of water professionals.

“In Tulsa, we are fortunate that we have excellent quality drinking water available to us when we turn on a faucet,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Instead of luck, however, it is the diligent work of our Water & Sewer Department that provides this water to our customers. Dependable water service is a 24-hour operation that requires coordination from the source in our water supply lakes, through the flowlines to the treatment plants, and then out through the distribution lines to homes and businesses. The quality of our water is one of the best benefits of living in Tulsa.”

In a proclamation naming May 2-8 “Safe Drinking Water Week” in Tulsa, Mayor Bynum said, “Only tap water delivers public health protection, fire protection, support for our economy and the quality of life we enjoy, and any measure of a successful society – low mortality rates, economic growth and diversity, productivity and public safety – are in some way related to access to safe water.”

To commemorate the week, the City of Tulsa and other water utilities, water organizations, government entities, environmental advocates, schools and organizations throughout North America are encouraging consumers to learn more about the importance of water and water infrastructure, especially in times of crisis.

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

• Tulsa consistently provides some of the safest and highest quality water in the country 

• The City of Tulsa supplies drinking water to more than 139,600 metered accounts in the city. In addition, wholesale water service is provided to eight suburban communities and nine rural water districts, for a total population served of more than 600,000 people in the metropolitan area.

• Tulsa has two water treatment plants – Mohawk and A.B. Jewell – that can treat 220 million gallons of water per day (MGD). Tulsa’s water distribution system consists of 2,237 miles of underground water lines, thousands of valves, 146,000 water meters, 16,350 hydrants, 12 pump stations and 12 treated water storage reservoirs in the Tulsa city limits.

• Average water consumption in the Tulsa area is 102 million gallons per day. Individual consumption equates to 80 – 100 gallons of water per day, on average.

“It’s so easy to take good water for granted and forget the huge role that reliable water plays in the essential services we all rely on,” said Clayton Edwards, Water & Sewer Director. “Tulsans can be proud of the hard-working City employees and the infrastructure we have in place that deliver the high-quality drinking water they rely on every day.”

The City of Tulsa’s Water & Sewer Department is responsible for the operations of quality assurance, water supply, water distribution, underground collections, waste systems and administration as it relates to water and sewer. 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 works and sanitary sewer systems. 

For more than 40 years, the American Water Works Association and cities across the country have celebrated Drinking Water Week, a unique opportunity for both water professionals and communities to join in recognizing the vital role water plays.

Learn more about the City of Tulsa’s drinking water by visiting https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/departments/water-and-sewer/.

Water systems across the country play a critical part in consumers’ health, hygiene and hydration. More than a million miles of buried pipes ensure reliable water is transported from collection, through the treatment process to homes or businesses for cleaning, hydration and cooking, which are critical to health and safety.