WASHINGTON COUNTY, Okla. — The waters have (literally) muddied again in Copan for a city and state-issued boil order as local leaders struggle to secure funding and orders needed to renovate outdated infrastructure.
Mayor Eric Mumma said a Sept. 11 lightning storm knocked out power to the crucial pump at Copan Lake and the town's water treatment plant. The town has no backup generator yet.
A precautionary, then mandatory one-minute boil order was then issued later that morning by Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for Washington County Rural Water District 7 and Osage County RWD 20.
2 News previously covered the mayor's optimistic outlook after new filters were delivered for the town water treatment plant in November 2025.
- Previous coverage>>> 'We're not going to quit': Copan mayor promises more improvements after boil order lifted
"Our engineering fees are so high but it has to have a stamp on it. And then (we need) availability," Mayor Mumma told 2 News after a Sept. 17 town board of trustees meeting. "We're trying to find pumps, trying to find equipment, trying to find contractors to do that stuff. We are just now getting to that stage."
The town just recevied a $1.1 million grant approved from Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the mayor said. But both engineering and bureaucratic processes haven't yet gotten the state board to release the money and get bidding for the work underway.
"DEQ was here (Sept. 17)," Mumma said. "They made some more suggestions of maybe we can change this chemical, (or) there's a better chemical that can help treat it. Maybe we can get off this a whole lot quicker. Hopefully soon we can get off this boil advisory."
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