Pump fixed, water back to normal

By Carol Cole-Frowe

August 07, 2008 12:09 am

— The broken water pump has been repaired and the City of Norman is once again receiving its regular allotment of water from Lake Thunderbird.
Utilities Director Ken Komiske said engineers with the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District were able to fix the pump Tuesday evening and residents can resume watering outside, although City officials still urge water conservation.
"In their ingenuity, they stripped off one of the electrical components from a standby pump," Komiske said. "They worked into last night and they fixed our pump, so we're back in service."
The replacement parts have been ordered, he said.
With the recent triple digit heat, Norman residents were using up to 24 million gallons daily or mgd.
The City of Norman gets about 14 mgd from Lake Thunderbird, which because of the break was 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 gallons.
"It's one of those scary times when things break," Komiske said.
The electrical components burned out at about noon Tuesday at the COMCD plant. COMCD supplies Lake Thunderbird water to Norman, Moore and Midwest City.
Carol Cole-Frowe 366-3538 ccole@normantranscript.com