Tulsa Winter Weather Update Feb. 17 – 5:30 p.m.

2/17/2021

Following overnight snowfall, the City spent most of the morning and early afternoon group plowing roadways. 

Crews have since transitioned to salt application. Tonight, crews will focus on treating refreeze with salt.

Mayor Directs City Facility Closures Tonight

Today, Mayor Bynum directed all non-public safety City facilities close by 7 p.m. tonight in the interest of water and energy conservation. The mayor has asked they remain closed until 8 a.m. tomorrow. Any facilities being used for winter storm response not do qualify as non-public safety facilities.

The directive does include the BOK Center and tonight’s Tulsa Oilers game has been postponed.

Waterline Break Updates

Thanks to the hard work from the City’s Water and Sewer and IT Departments, the City has created an interactive map that provides additional information on waterline breaks. View the map at: https://maps.cityoftulsa.org/watermainbreaks

Thirty-five crews (14 City crews and 21 contract crews) are in the field working to address more than 120 waterline breaks. Additional crews will be in overnight to continue work.

As of 4 p.m., the City had water shutoff to 81 lines, affecting roughly 1,300 residents and 43 businesses.

Due to the unprecedented cold weather and number of breaks, residents are being asked to conserve water. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has NOT issued a boil order for Tulsa water customers at this time. Though individual service interruptions should be expected for those directly impacted by these waterline breaks, Tulsa residents and those who utilize the city’s water system are asked to conserve water.

Tips to conserve water include:

• Don’t use high water-usage appliances, such as your dishwasher and washing machine
• Refrain from taking baths and long showers
• Keep your water usage to consumption only, such as for cooking, getting drinking water, using the toilet, and letting the water drip to keep it circulating in your pipes

Tulsa Fire Department Update

Throughout this winter weather response, TFD has been able to identify and turn off 190 fire suppression systems that have developed problems. Their swift response has helped the City to not lose additional water.

Protect Your Pipes

To protect your water pipes from extreme cold, you should:

• Turn on the furthest faucet away from your street and let it drip – this will allow for water to circulate in your system and decrease the chance for your water to freeze in your pipes
• Open cabinet doors below faucets allowing warm air to contact the pipes - this is especially important for faucets located on walls that are on the outside perimeter of your home
• If you normally store cleaning supplies in these cabinets, it’s important to relocate them to a safe storage spot that children and pets cannot access
• Locate your home’s water shutoff valve in case first responders need to respond and quickly find it

If water is not flowing out of your pipes, you should:

• Leave faucets open and make sure your cabinets are open
• Leaving faucets open makes sure you can expedite the thawing process
• Apply a safe heating source facing the walls with the frozen pipes in them to warm them up 
• Never use a blowtorch or an open flame device to warm your pipes
• Make sure your heating source is away from any flammable materials
• Call a plumber if running water does not flow to your pipes in a reasonable amount of time – if the pipe is located on an exterior wall, it’s imperative to act swiftly

Additional tips on protecting your water pipes can be found online.

Refuse & Recycling Update

City crews are working to catch up on refuse collection. There will be no bulky waste or recycling services through the end of the week. Bulky waste and recycling services are expected to resume on Monday, Feb. 22.

If it is your regular service day, it’s asked you put your gray trash bin on the curb. Backyard customers should also bring their carts to the curb, as many gates are inaccessible because of the snow.

If your bin was missed on your normal service day, please keep it on the curb until it is picked up. With the weather conditions, it’s asked residents be flexible and patient during this time. The City will make every attempt to get caught up once weather conditions improve.

Customers who have extra trash that will not fit inside the refuse bin can place a reasonable amount of bagged trash outside and next to their gray trash cart without a sticker. Only trash, not recycling, should be placed in your gray trash cart or in bags on the curb.

Additionally, the City of Tulsa Mulch Site is also closed until further notice. Illegal dumping and dead animal pickup is not being collected this week (unless it is on the roadway) – collection for those services is expected to resume on Monday, Feb. 22.

Municipal Courts Update

Tulsa Municipal Court will be open on Thurs., Feb. 18.  Anyone who is unable to make it to court will have their case automatically passed one week to Thurs., Feb. 25. If someone cannot make it tomorrow, no warrants will be issued for failure to appear.

Tulsa Parks Updates

Tulsa Parks community centers will be closed tomorrow. Additionally, Oxley Nature Center and other specialty centers will be closed tomorrow. Student Support Camps, which serve students who are practicing distance learning at various community centers, will be closed through the end of the week.

Tulsa Animal Welfare Update

Tulsa Animal Welfare (TAW) will be closed to the public tomorrow due to inclement weather. TAW officers will respond to emergency calls only, such as cruelty and bite calls. There are no appointments to see animals today, except for residents needing to drop off animals for an emergency. In the case of such an emergency, please call TAW at (918) 596-8001.

If Power Outages Occur

Though PSO has not announced another need for controlled outages today, residents are asked to be prepared in case the ask is made. 

If an outage occurs, the City’s critical infrastructure, such as 911 and police and fire dispatch will remain unaffected. City utilities are also not affected.

Traffic lights will be affected. If you have to be driving, please practice caution and go slow when approaching intersections, as affected stoplights will be black. Treat these stoplights as four-way stops.

Unless there is a life threatening emergency, please do not call 911 if your power goes out. It’s asked you wait the power outage out in the steps listed below. For an updated power outage map from PSO, visit: https://www.psoklahoma.com/outages/   

A list of safety tips during power outages can be found at: https://www.cityoftulsa.org/press-room/power-safety-and-outage-tips/