© 2024 KOSU
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Stillwater approves funds to upgrade aging water pump stations

A drop of water falls from a sink faucet
Sasikan Ulevik
/
Unsplash

Stillwater Utilities Authority is replacing retro pump stations to improve water pressure for rural residents. The current pumps, which help deliver drinking water from a treatment plant to homes, were installed in 1985.

“Our existing pump stations will not meet projected future demand,” said City Manager Kimberly Meek in a statement.

The Stillwater Utilities Authority distributes drinking water beyond the city’s borders to 79,000 people in 5 counties. Some of those people are already having issues with water pressure from overburdened pumps — especially in Yost, northeast of Stillwater.

These images, presented to the Stillwater Utilities Authority by City of Stillwater engineer Chris James, show the old pumps on the left and newer pumps on the right.
Stillwater Utilities Authority
/
Screenshot
These images, presented to the Stillwater Utilities Authority by City of Stillwater engineer Chris James, show the old pumps on the left and newer pumps on the right.

Stillwater resident Bryce Campbell at a Stillwater Utilities Authority meeting in December. He told the city staff his parents live in the Yost area.

“Many times — I don't mean 20, but probably 10, 15 — my mother comes to town and she's got soap in her hair,” Campbell said, “The water was such a low pressure that she couldn't take a shower — in the middle of the shower, it goes off.”

The Stillwater Rural Water Advisory Board wrote in its semi-annual report that its members have received more complaints about what they call the “Yost Pressure Zone.”

And the Advisory Board’s president, Robert Sitton, said low water capacity is hampering growth. That means the Utilities Authority is missing out on new ratepayers who could provide more revenue for the utility.

“We have people that are ready to build out there, ready to put in meters,” said Sitton. “But if we're limited on meters, that means that you're limited on income out there.”

The Stillwater Utilities Authority voted to approve a construction bid for the project last month.

Stillwater will use both a $39 million loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to replace the pumps. The city expects to finish the upgrades in 2026.


* indicates required

Graycen Wheeler is a reporter covering water issues at KOSU as a corps member with Report for America.
KOSU is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.
Related Content