OWASSO, Okla. — Neighbors in parts of Rogers County are facing a mandatory boil order due to E. coli.
“We got a call last night, I don’t remember exactly what time it was, but then we got a text, and it kind of said hey, boil alert or whatever it was, so I clicked on the link and it showed a big mapped-out area,” said Owasso resident Kyle Carpenter.
He is like many people who had to rethink their daily routine thanks to a notice he received about the boil order.
“This morning, I got up and went into Broken Arrow and we got a bunch of water and just kind of waiting to see what they have to say,” Carpenter said.
Because E. coli can make people sick, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (OKDEQ) says it's vital to bring water to a full, rolling boil for one minute before drinking, making food or baby formula, or even cleaning a wound.
Local News
OKDEQ issues mandatory boil order for Rogers County RWD #3
According to the notice sent to residents by the Rogers County Rural Water District No. 3, bacterial contamination can happen when increased water runoff gets into the drinking water source after heavy rains, a break in the pipe system, or a failure in the water treatment process.
Just a few houses down from the Carpenters live the Horowitz family.
Their mom, Katherine, said she made it a point to inform her children about the water situation.
“I just got out the bottled water and told him you know that we had to use that to brush our teeth and to drink because there’s a bacteria in our water and it’s not safe and would make us sick,” Katherine said.
Despite the headache of adhering to a boil order, the family is remaining positive.
“I’m grateful that we live in a time where we can be notified when this has happened, and that way we can prevent people from getting sick and get bottled water, and those are things to be grateful for,” said Cory Horowitz.
The OKDEQ said it will notify residents once the water is safe to use again.
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