Lawton’s southeast water treatment plant was shut down Friday afternoon due to high levels of manganese coming from Waurika Lake, city officials said in a news release.
Pumping has started from Waurika Lake to Lake Ellsworth to flush out the high levels of the mineral, which should resolve the issue, officials said.
“The Medicine Park water treatment plant has increased flow to maintain the demand, but residents on the east side of Lawton may experience a slight drop in water pressure as a result,” officials said. “This should be remedied within 24 hours.”
The southeast water treatment plant division will be testing raw water supply samples Saturday afternoon to ensure manganese levels are treatable. Depending on those results, the division may be back online Saturday.
Manganese will discolor water to a brownish-red tint when levels are too high, but it is not harmful, officials said.
The city will post updates on its website, lawtonok.gov, and social media.