Officials: Konawa Residents Could Be Without Water For Days

Folks in Konawa woke up Monday morning to a big problem. No one in the town has running water and officials say it could be days before it is back on.

City Leaders aren't quite sure yet what the problem is. So right now they are bringing in emergency water that will be set up in stations across town.

When Evalyn Maxwell turned on her faucet in her Konawa home, water barely trickled out.

"This morning they said the whole town was without water, they didn't know when it was coming back on," Maxwell said.

City leaders suspect the problem is at the city well field. The wells are working. But a leak in the 2000 feet of pipe could take a while to locate and fix.

"Possibly two days, maybe longer," said Konawa mayor, Virginia Simms.

Two years ago, a similar problem left residents without water for five days. The old and corroded lines are a constant problem here.

"This has been a major issue," Mayor Simms said.

This time, even restaurants have had to shut down, and the town's 1400 residents are forced to find other ways to meet even their most basic needs.

"Flushing the toilet. I have laundry stacked up, a dishwasher full of dirty dishes," Maxwell said.

The city did get a grant to start fixing the lines. They are currently taking bids to do the work that is scheduled to begin after the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, that wasn't soon enough to avoid this disaster.

OG&E has offered the city access to their water in case there's a fire. The Chickasaw Wellness Center is allowing residents to shower there.