As the saying goes, when you get up in the morning and flush, or brush, you’re doing business with the water department.

No one knows that better than Alyssa Kubat, water superintendent for the Town of Hennessey.

That’s why she told the Hennessey Board of Trustees they need to get accurate GPS mapping of the town’s water lines so workers can isolate where cut-off valves are located instead of turning the water off town-wide for repairs.

Kubat thought it might take 5-10 years to get that done, but during the town’s Saturday, Feb. 5, planning meeting Mayor Bert Gritz said they need it as soon as possible.

Board members Vice Mayor Clif Vogt and Trustees Richard Simunek and Harold Shaw agreed with him and asked Kubat to gather costs.

Water for the entire town has been shut off a few times in the past year for repairs.

It was only a few weeks ago when they shut off water again for repairs, but that time they started at 10 p.m.

That way it wouldn’t inconvenience customers with day-time shut-offs and the crew had it back on before most people got up.

Vicki Eggers of Northern Oklahoma Development Authority (NODA), who moderated the meeting, said she thought Susmita Som (community planner with NODA) had already done that.

“She mapped them,” Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman said, but Kubat’s list calls for the GPS mapping.

(Note: Tillman had worked with department heads for a few months to help make each department’s needs and plans for the next 1-15 years.)

About Water Plant

During discussions, Eggers asked if the town has nitrate problems and learned that the town has a reverse osmosis plant south of town to take care of that.

Kubat said the nitrate levels are extremely low in the filtered water.

Nitrate levels are posted on the town’s website under “Departments, Public Works, Water.” (Note: Click on the blue box to view nitrate levels.)

Groundbreaking on the Reverse Osmosis Water Plant was in May 2002 and operations began in May 2003, then an open house was held in July 2003.

The plant cost $1.4 million and the town borrowed the money on a 20-year low-interest loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

The plant was built after the DEQ issued a consent order that required the town to come up with a plan to reduce its drinking water below 10 parts-per-million, the federal EPA’s maximum limit for drinking water then, and now.

The plant is located three miles south of Love’s Store (7th Street), then east one-half mile, then south one-half mile.

Hennessey wasn’t the only small town under a consent order, but was among the first to build a reverse osmosis plant.

Water Dept. Needs 1-5 years

• New truck.

• Change membrane in RO (Reverse Osmosis) 2 – Kubat said they have a 5-7 year life.

• New water line on Dunlap between 4th and 7th streets.

• Take all old fire hydrants out of use.

• New water lines north of town to extend the town limits.

• Re-plumbing wells 1 and 2.

5-10 Year Plans

• Accurate GPS mapping water lines (Board asked for costs to do this ASAP).

• Isolation valves throughout town to isolate separate areas during repairs. (Board members asked for those costs ASAP)

• New truck.

• Change membranes in RO 1.

• Extend water line from 4th-6th streets in alley east of Bonita.

10-15 Year Plans

• New RO unit to replace RO 1.

• Two new wells and plumbing.

• New plumbing and isolation valves inside and outside of water plant.