Stillwater, OSU reach agreement to share water

Friday, January 23, 2009

(STILLWATER, Okla., Jan. 23, 2009) – The Stillwater City Council and the OSU/A&M Board of Regents have approved an agreement between the City of Stillwater and Oklahoma State University that allows the two entities to provide water to each other.

While both the city and the university have their own primary water supplies and water treatment facilities, this mutual agreement allows the two entities to provide water to the other in the event the primary water sources are unavailable, with an equivalent amount of water returned to the provider after the source is restored.

“This is yet another example of the excellent partnership we have with the City of Stillwater,” said OSU President Burns Hargis.  “This agreement is in the best interest of both the university community and the citizens of Stillwater.”

Mayor Roger L. McMillian said, “It is hard to overstate how important this agreement is to Stillwater and OSU.  For 16 years the city has been without a backup water supply for Kaw Lake, and this simple agreement gives everyone peace of mind.”

Over the years Mayor McMillian has stated the lack of backup water supply was one of the gravest issues facing Stillwater citizens, and one he believed had to be corrected.  

“By working together we now have options that will benefit both of us. For example, now that we have the security of a backup water supply, we will be able to close the Kaw pipeline during the winter of 2010 for some period of time to allow a thorough examination of the pipeline and its repair status. Without this agreement, this much needed project would be unthinkable,” McMillian said.

OSU owns and will soon operate its own water treatment plant as does the city through the Stillwater Utilities Authority.  Both entities have secured adequate water supplies and have installed extensive enough delivery systems to supply both OSU and city water users.