Rogers County Rural Water District #3 institutes mandatory water rationing

ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. - Rogers County officials have instituted mandatory water rationing in Rural Water District #3.

Because of dry conditions and the inability to meet demand, all non-essential water usage must be avoided.

The ration order affects all RWD #3 water customers as the rationing will be done on a schedule, which is listed below:

• Area 1 -- West of N. 177th E. Ave. (Outside watering ONLY Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
• Area 2 -- East of N. 177th E. Ave. and west of the Verdigris River and/or west of the Caney River (Outside watering ONLY Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
• Area 3 -- West of NS-4150 Road (Owalla Road) and east of the Verdigris River and/or east of the Caney River (Outside watering ONLY Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
• Area 4 -- East of NS-4150 Road (Owalla Road) (Outside watering ONLY Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)

No outside watering is allowed Sunday.

Some residents in higher elevated areas of the district experienced low water pressure this week. In some areas, the water stopped working entirely.

"There was an occasion last night when absolutely no water came out of the faucet," said Dianna Wiggs, who lives in the district, just north of Claremore. "This afternoon after I had gone to work, my husband and son went to my mother's house to take showers for the day because, once again, they had no water and could not take a shower."

Officials say the reason for the low water is because residents in other parts of the district, near Owasso and Lake Oologah, are using too much water before it can get to towers in higher elevated areas, such as the one in Wigg's neighborhood.

The district is asking all customers to be mindful about their water usage and to conserve as much as possible to ensure the water supply doesn't run dry.

For more information, visit Rural Water District No. 3's web site.