COLBERT -- More than 2,500 residents in southern Oklahoma are being asked to limit their water usage to cooking, bathing and drinking because the area's aquifer has been depleted by the drought.
Advertisement
Colbert officials thought their water supply was from the Antlers Aquifer, but discovered this week that they have been using the Woodbine Aquifer, a smaller aquifer which sits above the Antlers Aquifer.
The Woodbine is now nearly dry from drought, Mayor Randall Gorman said Wednesday.
"The well's drying up, he said. "There's no way around it.
Officials contracted a company to drill new wells into the Antlers Aquifer, but discover that company did not have an Oklahoma permit, Gorman said. Another company was expected to arrive later today to begin drilling.
After the drilling, the water will be tested to make sure it does not contain salt. That process could take a week, Gorman said.
The town's 115-foot water tower was down to 70 feet Tuesday, but the Chickasaw Nation delivered water in trucks to be pumped into the town's supply. That lifted the level to 94 feet.
At 25 feet, the water tower would shut off, Gorman said.
