After a string of dry days, Okmulgee is working through recovering from some extreme flooding, but the rising water levels aren’t over for everyone.
The rain has brought a spotlight to a problem residents say they’ve been having for years – drainage back-up causing roads to overflow.
“The water gets really high,” said Okmulgee resident Lois Whittaker. “If you come down here and see, it covers cars, tops, and stuff. So something should be done.”
Video taken this morning on Trent Street of water rushing out of a manhole cover shows just how bad it can be at times, even when it's not an extreme event.
“You can have contaminants, there's bacteria and things, also just like glass or things that you can't see. It's really just not safe for anyone to be in it,” said Erin Hatfield, communications director for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. “But particularly, it's an attractive nuisance for kids. So we want to be very cautious there.”
NewsChannel 8 reached out to the City of Okmulgee for a comment, but they were not available to talk.
The DEQ says, while they haven't had any reports of sewage backed up in Okmulgee, there are steps that can be taken.
“So along with that, I mean, you have the issue of untreated water that's bypassing and not reaching that system for treatment,” said Hatfield. “So that certainly is a concern. There are plans in place or cities that need to report that to DEQ and let them know that they have had a bypass.”
For Whittaker, who’s lived in Okmulgee for nearly 40 years, she’s hopeful something can be done.
“All we have to do is just work with the people and work with the government,” said Whittaker. “This is a nice town to live in and people are friendly, so let's get on board.”