Bixby residents face mandatory outdoor watering limits through at least Sept. 18 after the city issued a conservation order Aug. 19, citing a water system it can no longer push to meet demand.
The restrictions split the city by address: odd-numbered homes may water outdoors Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; even-numbered homes get Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No one waters on Sundays. All outdoor watering is confined to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. so the city's tank can refill overnight, according to the official notice.
Car washing and hosing down driveways are banned outright. Golf courses and sports fields cannot use potable water for irrigation. The rules also apply to some Leonard water customers served by Bixby's system, the Tulsa World reported.
The order comes as crews continue repairing the Fry Ditch water line. Temporary fixes appear to be working and pressure has improved, the city said, but a permanent replacement line is still forthcoming.
A system-wide problem
In a written statement Aug. 20, the city pushed back on the idea that rapid development alone caused the crisis. It described the situation as a system-wide infrastructure and capacity issue involving aging pipes, leaks, failed components, equipment limitations, maintenance needs and increasing demand, KJRH reported.
The city also stressed that institutional knowledge of the aging system is critical, noting that staff who understand its history and past failures are essential to diagnosing problems.
As a long-term fix, Bixby said it is planning a new 24-inch water line to feed into the city. That line is in the engineering and design phase, with no public timeline or cost estimate yet available.
Residents feeling the squeeze
Craig Poindexter, who lives near Lake Bixhoma, told 2 News Oklahoma on Aug. 20 that his family's water pressure swings wildly day to day.
"You'll have zero water some days or it's just a trickle or it's a third of the pressure, and then sometimes in the evening time they are able to turn the system back on," Poindexter said.
He said he appreciates the work city crews have done but wants Bixby to shift from reactive repairs to systemic fixes.
A separate city alert posted Thursday announced a scheduled water service interruption Aug. 21, in the E. 126th St. S. and Memorial area from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. for crews to complete a waterline connection.
The city said it will post updates on its Facebook page and through Nixle Alerts at bit.ly/BixbyNixle. The Sept. 18 end date is tentative and conditions may change.
