Water Runs Dry In Seminole, Hughes County Towns

Jacqueline Sit, News 9

CROMWELL, Oklahoma -- Residents in Cromwell, and other rural towns in Seminole and County, are going on day two without water and concerns are growing as winter weather moves into the state.

"This town is very important. When it affects my kids and my people here, I'm going to find answers," said Artie Leggs, a retired teacher who has lived in Cromwell for 27 years.

Artie Leggs said her town has been without water since Sunday. She noticed a trickle started to come through her faucets over the weekend and that's when she warned others to stock up.

"When this happens, I'm normally the first one to lose my water and the last one to get it back," Leggs added, "So I try to reach out to everyone else in town to prepare for it."

Leggs said she contacted town officials and learned the water source comes from Okemah and they're not the only town affected.

Okemah Rural Water District 2 member Eugene Keetwood said they've had a problem with leaked underground lines that supply water into rural towns in Seminole and Hughes County.

"The plant is very old from 1967 and remodeled in 1980s and we need another remodeling," Keetwood said.

Crews have been working to bring the water supply back online Tuesday.

"We're hoping to have usable water soon. The residents should have enough before it gets dark, about 45 to 50 gallons a minute. It will take time to regain loss. We're asking people not to panic and to conserve as much water as they can," Keetwood said.

"We're stocking up as much as we can. We poured water into tubs and bathtubs and bought gallons of water from out of town just in case," Leggs said.

The Cromwell volunteer firefighters are going door to door to distribute bottled waters for residents in town.

"We have enough for now to help in case of emergency, but we're hoping we'll get the water back by Tuesday night before the storm," Andrew Douglas, a volunteer firefighter said.

While the water is back online as of Tuesday evening, officials said it could take some time before residents in more rural areas see water pressure return to normal.