Boil order remains in effect for Copan water customers

It’s been a week since a boil order was issued for some water customers in Washington and Osage counties, and the order remains in effect.

Everyone who uses the Copan town water supply is affected. Residents are being told to drink bottled water or boil water from the faucet for at least one minute before using it.

The boil order affects customers in Osage County Rural Water District 20, Washington County Rural Water District 7 and the Copan community.

The town says particles entered the water supply following a power failure at the lake intake structure and water treatment facility. Officials say they are washing filters as frequently as possible and testing the water daily.

The mayor says the town recently received up to $1 million to hire an engineer and bring in generators in an effort to get the water system’s operations back up and running.

Cases of bottled water are available at Copan City Hall during regular business hours. Water has also been delivered to Copan schools.

Copan resident Debbie Unruh says she is following the boil-order instructions but is looking forward to a resolution.

“If I’d been here for a long time and this is something that happened often or a lot, I would probably be as frustrated as many of the citizens here are.”

The mayor hopes the boil order can be lifted sometime next week.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality says it is monitoring the situation and working to ensure the water quality meets state standards.