The city is running on the treated water it had stored while officials work to repair the plant. The city said it doesn’t have a timeline for those repairs but hopes to have the plant operational by the end of the week.

“The most important thing to understand is that our water treatment plant is not currently treating water, and we are utilizing our reserve supply,” City Commission Chair B.J. Roberson wrote in a Facebook post. “Once the reserve supply is depleted, no water will be available until the production plant returns online.”

In the meantime, the city has issued an emergency proclamation. Outdoor watering is “strictly prohibited,” and the city has asked people not to use water for tasks that can be put off, like laundry.

“It is a real possibility that our reserve capacity won’t last until repairs are completed if continued conservation is not practiced,” Interim City Manager Derek Griffith wrote in a Facebook post.

He later said that the city’s water consumption would outpace the repairs. The city has asked nonessential businesses to stop using water to conserve it for essential and residential purposes.

Yesterday, the city set up a potable water station, limiting distribution to two gallons per person. Griffith said updates would be posted to the City of Cushing Facebook page.