Hold all calls to FEMA, but keep the National Guard on call just in case…

Bartlesville is experiencing a little bit of excitement at the moment. Apparently we’ve had so much rain in the past week that it’s effected our water supply. Now, before you read what I just wrote and decide I sound stupid, I guess it has to do with the excess water diluting the alkaline levels. Here’s an article about it from our local paper. According to the Water Plant Supervisor:

“What’s happening is that we’ve had so much rain, the alkalinity has been driven to a level that our coagulant will not react with it,” Jinkens said.

The solution? Injecting caustic soda into the water supply. Yummy. Don’t you just love knowing about all the crap that goes into our water in order to make it drinkable.

According to our city manager, Ed Gordon, everything is moving along quite swimmingly although it will take a few days before the entire supply has been treated to its entirety. Meanwhile we should feel perfectly safe drinking our water. Yeah right.

Officials say safety is not an issue, as untreated water has not been allowed through the system.

“The water we are now using and drinking is safe. It is a technical malfunction only and does not affect the quality of water,” Gordon said.

Gordon said the Oklahoma National Guard has been notified in the event that help is needed, and that several cities have offered to help Bartlesville through the ordeal.

“The City of Tulsa has said they will bring water tanks if we need them, and Copan Water Plant has offered to help,” Gordon said. “A crisis brings out the best in people.

This whole ordeal created quite the hoopla yesterday. I even had a friend text me on my phone to tell me that we may be without water for two or three days and another telling me to hurry up to Wal-Mart because they were about to sell out of water. I was about to go to Wal-Mart to stock up but called Mike who filled two canisters up and stuck them in the fridge (I imagine he was probably shaking his head with a chuckle as he was doing this…that nutty wife of mine). It’s crazy how the idea of being without water can send people into to such a tizzy.