State of the States

Oklahoma

A major construction and renovation project to replace a 70-year-old water treatment plant is near completion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The new $65 million Tulsa-Mohawk Water Treatment Plant will purify and disinfect water substantially the same way the existing facility does. Water from a lake 55 miles away is piped to the plant, where it undergoes coagulation and flocculation to remove dirt, organics and other impurities. After sedimentation, the water is filtered and disinfected with chlorine and pumped into the distribution system.

The new plant will include updated technology, improved filtration processes and a larger clearwell capacity (treated water reservoir). These improvements will decrease trihalomethane (THM) formation and help meet current and future drinking water regulations. THMs are by-products of disinfection that form when water treatment chemicals react with organic material, such as leaves or soil, that may be present in untreated water. Federal regulations limit the amount of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water.

Enhanced treatment processes will improve the plant's ability to remove waterborne pathogens for increased public health protection. In addition, the new plant's clearwell capacity will be nearly six times the size of the old one, thus providing enough contact time to adequately disinfect the water with chlorine before its delivery to customers. The plant's design also provides flexibility for modifying or adding processes if necessary to comply with future changes in federal standards.

The Tulsa-Mohawk Treatment plant is one of two water treatment facilities in Tulsa that provide water service to more than 450,000 customers.