Recent water woes in Kay County

By ADAM CATLIN
NHJ Editor

Last week’s order to boil water in Tonkawa remained in effect Tuesday morning as city and state officials continued testing to ensure the public water system was safe from bacteria contamination.
That along with two incidents over the past two months affecting the water treatment plant in Newkirk have renewed concerns about aging infrastructure in Kay County.

Tonkawa
On July 1, the City of Tonkawa issued a mandatory boil order after an initial routine water sample tested positive for total coliform bacteria.
The city, in a social media post, said a positive total coliform result does not automatically mean that E. coli is present or that a boil order is required. It does, however, require additional testing under state and federal regulations.
The order came about after sampling coordinated between city staff and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality regarding appropriate sampling locations.
Samples were collected from the city’s Out-of-Town Water Basin, which serves as the collection point for the municipal wells. ODEQ later directed the city to also collect source water samples directly from the wells, which the city completed on June 29.
Following ODEQ guidance, city staff collected repeat samples throughout the distribution system from the city’s Out-of-Town Water Basin, upstream and downstream of the original sampling location, and later from the city’s municipal wells.
ODEQ found that lab results showed: the original repeat sample was negative for E. coli and total coliform; the upstream sample was negative for E. coli and total coliform, but, the downstream sample tested positive for E. coli and Total Coliform.
Based on those results, the city then issued the mandatory boil order.
Since the boil order was issued, city crews have continued collecting additional water samples throughout the system.
The city reported on Monday that ODEQ analyzed water samples over the holiday weekend that all came back with good results.
The city added that ODEQ wanted additional mitigation measures completed before they would authorize lifting the boil order.

Newkirk
In recent months, lightning has affected the water treatment center causing the city to both lose power as well as water service for varying lengths of time.
In June of last year, there were three instances Newkirk residents went without water, including during repair to a water valve after the water tower was struck by lightning.
In recent months, lightning has affected the water treatment center, causing the city to both lose power as well as water service for varying lengths of time.
Newkirk City Manager Jane Thomas said the city has been improving the water system for many years with new water lines and new water wells.
“The next project is the water treatment plant and clearwell,” she said. “The frequent lightning strikes are being examined. It is possible that new and more lightning arrestors could be installed. The city will always be working on improving infrastructure to the water system. This is an ongoing project.”