POCOLA, Okla. — Around Pocola residents are without water or have low water pressure Wednesday (Feb. 17).
According to officials with the water department, this is because of a low water supply in a water tower. Crews say a frozen gauge lead to a false sense of how much supply was in the water tower.
The department says this stems from the supplier, who they would not name.
The issue began for some residents Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Officials say they hope to have it back up and running by 9 p.m. tonight.
While they wait on the company that supplies the town with water, workers with the Pocola Water Department have tapped into a supply from Fort Smith to make sure people have water when they wake up in the morning.
"It's been like seven hours and I'm actually going to a friend's house right now to take a shower," said Pocola resident Tanner Dumont.
Dumont is one of around 2,000 people who lost water to their homes.
"We go to the neighbors and get jugs of water, we've been heating up water in pots on the stove," Dumont said.
Water went from a slow stream to nothing at all. While the supplier fixes issues on its end, the City of Pocola decided to tap into the emergency supply that brings water from Fort Smith.
Wes Riggs, a Water Department Board Chairman, says it wasn't easy.
"Went over there to turn it on but it was froze up. We had a heater in the pump house and apparently, the heater wasn't big enough for minus 10 degrees below and it froze up so we had to tear all that apart, replum it to get it turned back on," Riggs said.
City leaders say you should soon see a slow stream of water in your faucet and by the morning you should have better water flow.
It's news that people like Dumont are glad to hear.
"Beyond thankful because I'm ready to shower at my own house and not ask people to shower at their houses," Dumont said.
As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, people who live on the north end of Pocola should be seeing their water back on, and those on the south side should see it soon.
This is a developing story.