It's hard to imagine that even in the 21st Century about 3 million people still die each year from waterborne diseases caused by protozoa, viruses or bacteria. This generally happens in developing countries that have poor water sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water.

We in Oklahoma City enjoy clean, clear water every day. Our treated tap water protects us from those waterborne diseases and allows us to quench our thirsts, brush our teeth, clean our homes, wash our clothes and do many other everyday tasks without worry.

Our municipal tap water does even more. It's the water firefighters depend on when fire threatens our property and safety. Plus water is crucial to our city's development and economic growth. Businesses will not build in or relocate to Oklahoma City unless it has proven long-range sustainable water resources and water pipeline infrastructure.

Each year, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust provides information about the quality of your drinking water in a Consumer Confidence Report. It's required by the Environmental Protection Agency, but the City's Water Quality employees do more than meet regulatory requirements. They work hard 24 hours daily to provide you with the best drinking water possible.

At Oklahoma City's three water treatment plants – Draper, Hefner and Overholser – online analyzers continuously test streams of water. The Water Quality operations staff tests the water every two hours – on raw water, treated water and water leaving the plant. Operators also conduct quality assurance and quality control processes to ensure the accuracy of their tests.

In addition, chemists in the water quality laboratory conduct weekly and monthly tests. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality tests the treated water at each plant on a monthly basis. If you still have questions about the quality of your drinking water, please feel free to contact:

Click here to see the water quality summary.

Oklahoma City has a long history of investing wisely in its water system. It began in 1889, shortly after 10,000 new citizens had made the historic Land Run to stake claims in their new homesteads. The water supply system back then was only one well at Santa Fe near the railroad depot. There, the railroad station master sold water by the bucket, but citizens had to bring their own buckets. It wasn’t long before more wells were drilled to keep up with water demand. In 1908, the city purchased its first water supply. It included 14 wells and some pipe. But the wells often went dry in the summer when life-sustaining water is most critical. So the search for more water continued and it hasn’t stopped yet.

Oklahoma City’s three water treatment plants deliver about 100 million gallons of tap water each day to more than 550,000 citizens and sells treated water to other communities and water districts. A raw water supply study completed in 2009 determined central Oklahoma will reach its water supply capacity by 2030 and that water demand will double to 316 million gallons a day by 2060.

In June 2010, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust acquired a water storage contract for 136,000 acre feet of water in Lake Sardis. Plans are under way for a water use permit. With that, the additional water supply in Sardis Lake will provide water to about one-third of all Oklahomans for the next 60 years.

The sources of drinking water nationwide include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity. Drinking water (including bottled water) may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some substances. The presence of dissolved minerals does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. The City of Oklahoma City treats and filters all water from reservoirs to remove any possible harmful contaminants according to State and Federal standards.

Contaminants that may be present in raw – or untreated – water include microbes (viruses and bacteria), inorganics (salts and metals), pesticides and herbicides (from various sources, including agriculture, storm water runoff and residential uses), and radioactive materials that are naturally occurring.

The Environmental Protection Agency limits the amount of contaminants in water provided by public systems to ensure tap water is safe to drink. The Food and Drug Administration regulations limit contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same public health protection.

Some contaminants may cause color, taste or odor problems in water but are not necessarily causes for health concerns. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or at www.epa.gov/safewater.

The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 require states to develop and implement Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs to analyze existing and potential threats to the quality of public drinking water. Copies of these reports for Lakes Draper, Hefner and Overholser are available upon request.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk of infections.

These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers. The EPA and Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate ways to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium (an intestinal parasite that can be fatal in some immuno-compromised persons) and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.