Claremore Daily Progress

Foyil

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  • Rural Water District 3 faces a water pressure near-'crisis'.

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  • The map included in the district's email to customers shows the schedule for rationing.

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July 20, 2011

Water rationing working in Rural Water District 3

Zack Stoycoff Staff Writer

CLAREMORE — Water rationing has already reduced the strain on Rural Water District 3’s supply, district manager Rick Stull said Wednesday.

The district sent an email to 3,500 customers last Wednesday ordering them to stop watering plants and washing cars on certain days. The remaining customers will receive the notice with their bills this week.

“I think the folks are responding really well,” Stull said. “Something’s happened because we’ve made a few adjustments where we can make everything work faster and fill everything up faster.

“What little bit the people have picked up on, it’s obviously done some good. We’re doing OK.”

The email last week told customers that “without immediate reduction of water consumption, the entire district could find itself in a very dangerous position in regards to the health and public safety.”

The email called the need for rationing “desperate.”

“It’s not over by far,” Stull said. “If I can get 20 percent of the people to even come close to abiding by the letters — that’s where we are, just trying to make a little bit of a headway.”

The district wants customers to limit “non-essential” watering to three days a week. That includes landscaping, yards, trees, gardens, car washing and pools, according to the email.

Non-essential watering for every customer is banned Sundays.

It’s also banned Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for those west of North 177th Avenue — or eastern Owasso — and between NS 4150 Road and the Verdigris River, or an area north of Claremore.

The schedule is Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for those east of North 177th East Avenue and west of the Verdigris River — the Keetonville Hill area — and east of NS 4150 Road, or the Foyil area.

“Somebody is helping out and I know a lot of people are calling and telling me they are,” Stull said.

The email told customers they could face fines or have their water shut off if they do not comply, but Stull said that would be impossible to enforce.

“That paragraph at the bottom that was just to put some meat in letter,” he said.

Rural Water District 3 covers a 35-mile swath from eastern Owasso in Tulsa County to Mayes County east of Foyil.

It includes an area between 66th and 106th Streets at the Tulsa County line to roughly county roads 410 and 350 at the Mayes County line, including Foyil, Tacora Hills and a portion of rural Claremore north of about Blue Starr Drive and west of Highway 88.

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