TULSA, Okla. — Residents in the Florence Park South neighborhood told 2 News they don't believe Tulsa's Water Department hears their concerns about a tremendous amount of city drinking water gushing down a storm drain.
Resident Brett Long told 2 News that his neighbors have two simple questions they want to be answered.
"How long has this been going on? How much water is being wasted?" Long asked.
Water is rushing out of a pipe and into a storm drain on Florence Place.
WATCH: Water rushing down the drain:
Deputy Director Matt Vaughn with Tulsa's Water & Sewer Department told 2 News the water comes from a leak on a 24-inch pipeline under 21st Street between Harvard and Yale.
"The water that's leaking from that pipe is draining underground and going downhill toward a storm sewer that eventually flows through the neighborhood," he said. "Then the neighbors can see the continuous flow of water that is happening.”
Residents of the neighborhood told 2 News they've spent almost a decade asking the city to make repairs so water isn't wasted. They feel they've been ignored, given inaccurate information, such as that the water isn't city water, it's stormwater. They also said that they were told the issue has been fixed.
It hasn't.
Brett Long had an independent lab test it at his own expense to prove it is city water and not storm runoff.
He first noticed the sound of rushing water coming from the storm drain on his daily walks. Neighbors explained it's an ongoing issue and showed him a letter from 2015, one of them got from the City, stating that because the water is underground, repairs are a low priority.
Vaughn said the city's water crews made at least four repairs in the past 18 months at $180,000. However, the flow into the storm drain didn't appear any different in May than it did when we first visited the neighborhood in January.
Problem Solvers
WASTING WATER?: Tulsa man says city drinking water is dumping into storm drain
"It's very disappointing to deal with a city department that is so unresponsive multiple times," said Long. "City folks have told me we will follow up with you. Never in over a year did anybody with the city after agreeing that they would follow up with me."
After our first story aired, the city's public information office said the city's "leak detection office would investigate and provide updates when more information is available."
But, neither the residents nor 2 News heard back from them.
On May 1, Vaughn initially told 2 News that his department estimated that 1,000 gallons per minute is pouring into the storm drain during repairs.
The city then clarified after testing the leak they found only 1,444 gallons per day leaking.
2 News asked how much homeowners pay for 1,000 gallons of water? Residential customers pay $4.44, but the city told 2 News that since none of this water goes through a resident's meter, it considers its cost at 25 cents per 1,000 gallons.
This leak costs the city 36 cents a day.
Vaughn also confirmed this a low-priority repair. This is because doing it would be a costly repair, requiring the tearing up of 21st Street to replace the old 24-inch pipe nearing its lifespan. That's not likely to happen until at least 2025, he said.
Vaughn stressed the city isn't concerned about making repairs because the leaks are not affecting anything above ground, and the water lost is considered part of the 15 to 20% of the water it produces each year, but isn't paid for. For example, water lost to leaks and used to fight fires would not be billed.
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