Published: August 05, 2008 03:27 pm            

NEW: Broken pump cuts Thunderbird water supply; Residents urged to conserve

By Carol Cole-Frowe

Transcript Staff Writer

A pump break has reduced the amount of water being pumped from Lake Thunderbird and resulted in City of Norman officials urging residents and businesses to conserve water until the pump is repaired — probably in about two days.

Electrical components on the pump burned out at about noon today at the plant of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District, said Ken Komiske, city utilities director. COMCD supplies Lake Thunderbird water to Norman, Midwest City and Del City.

Komiske is urging all non-essential water use be curtailed, although he said the city does not intend to implement water rationing at this time. The City had previously requested residents to go to an odd-even watering schedule with residents and businesses at odd-numbered addresses watering on odd-numbered days and the same for even-numbered.

“If you don’t have to use it outside, please don’t,” he said.

Komiske said Norman water customers are normally very conscientious when asked to help and that’s why he doesn’t feel that mandatory rationing is necessary at this time.

With triple digit heat, Norman residents have been using up to 24 million gallons daily.

The City of Norman gets about 14 mgd from Lake Thunderbird, which has been reduced to 12 mgd. About 4 mgd comes from its water wells, supplemented by purchase of several million gallons of treated water daily from the City of Oklahoma City at $4.06 per thousand.

By comparison, water use is about 11.5 mgd in January.

        

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