Tulsa

Tulsa's primary mission is to deliver clean, palatable water to all residents. Our municipal water is safe for consumption and free of harmful pathogens and chemicals. City technicians and facility operators monitor water quality from source lakes through treatment and distribution.

When water leaves our treatment facilities and flows toward Tulsa homes and businesses, it not only meets but exceeds nearly all federal purity standards. Precipitation flows downhill both above and below ground, collecting in streams and lakes. As water travels to our reservoirs, it naturally dissolves minerals from rocks and soil. Unfortunately, water can also collect pesticides, herbicides, and bacteria from human and animal activity.

Tulsa's water comes from three northeastern Oklahoma lakes:

• Lake Oologah on the Verdigris River (Rogers and Nowata counties)
• Lakes Spavinaw and Eucha on Spavinaw Creek (Mayes and Delaware counties)
• Lake Hudson on the Neosho River (Mayes County)

Water samples from these sources undergo thorough testing to determine quality. The water then flows through pipelines to Tulsa's two treatment plants where it's filtered to meet drinking water and public health standards. In 2016, city technicians analyzed over 32,000 samples to ensure high-quality water delivery to homes and businesses.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits contaminant levels in public water supplies after treatment. Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets comparable limits for bottled water. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has evaluated our source lakes, and their assessment revealed potential contamination risks from human activities. For more information about this study or how ODEQ protects source water, contact them at (405) 702-8100 or visit www.deq.state.ok.us/wqdnew/sourcewater/index.html.

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