Tulsa to Participate in National Drinking Water Week May 6-12

5/7/2018

The City of Tulsa will celebrate the importance of quality drinking water by participating in National Drinking Water Week May 6-12.

To commemorate the week and increase Tulsans’ awareness of the importance of good water, City of Tulsa employees will be on hand at Guthrie Green May 4 during the “First Friday” Art Crawl to offer  drinking water, answer questions about the City’s water infrastructure and to pass out water-related giveaways to adults and children.

May 6-12 also has been designated “Safe Drinking Water Week” in the city of Tulsa by Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum, recognizing that “only tap water delivers public health protection, fire protection, support for our economy, and the quality of life we enjoy.” (proclamation attached)

“It’s so easy to take good water for granted that most people forget how big a part reliable water plays in our lives and in the essential services we all rely on,” said Clayton Edwards, City of Tulsa Water & Sewer Director. “Tulsa is fortunate to have award-winning, high quality drinking water that residents can rightfully be proud of.”

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 500,000 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, 16,000 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. 

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 35 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 together in recognizing the vital role water plays.