On July 12, 2025, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issued a boil order for the City of Bartlesville water system after a water sample taken from one of the City’s 80 sampling sites showed a positive test result for E. coli. The boil order was lifted the next day, when subsequent testing indicated no harmful bacteria was present anywhere within the City’s water system. Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen gives us an update on the issue in today’s Director’s Cut.
First, remind us of what happened.
Essentially, water taken from one of our sampling sites, at 21st Street and Dewey Avenue, on July 9 yielded a positive test for E. coli. We were advised by the ODEQ to flush the area, retest the site as well as test adjacent sites, which we did. While the adjacent sites tested negative for any bacteriological activity, the initial failed site tested negative for E. coli but positive for coliform, which is an indicator of bacterial activity. Because of these results, the ODEQ issued a boil order for our water system on July 12, 2025. It was removed roughly 24 hours later, after subsequent testing results showed no bacteriological activity within any part of our water system.
What did the City do in response to the positive test result?
We followed the ODEQ’s guidelines and recommendations regarding flushing and testing, and we immediately began an assessment of our system to determine the source. E. coli is a specific strain of coliform bacteria that originates from fecal matter. It can enter a water system through several potential pathways, including a failure at the water treatment plant, a water line break, contamination during sample collection or laboratory analysis or an issue with the sample site itself.
The water plant was operating properly, there had been no water line breaks in the area for the past six months, and both our staff and the independent state-certified laboratory followed all standard procedures and quality control protocols. This left the sample site as the most likely cause, which was further confirmed from the fact that no other sample collected during this period showed any bacteriological activity.
We believed, and this was later substantiated, that the positive E. coli sample was an isolated anomaly associated with the sample station. The station was replaced and no issues have occurred since.
So, what, specifically, caused the positive test result?
The most likely scenario is that a worm, or perhaps a snake, made its way into the spigot of the sample station and died. This would have caused this type of bacteria to be present in a very specific, limited area, which would be consistent with the fact that none of the adjacent sites tested positive for either E. coli or coliform. A report issued by the ODEQ recently is consistent with these findings, as does the inspection and disassembly of the sample station itself. (See more information about the sample station disassembly here: Excavation Summary_2099 Dewey Sample Station).
Are you saying the water system was safe throughout the entire ordeal and Bartlesville water customers were never in danger from our water?
While every indicator we have available to us points to that being true, I want to stress that we did — and should — take every precaution necessary in these types of situations to ensure the public is safe. This is always our No. 1 priority and first consideration in everything we do. At that time, we had never had a positive test for E. coli within our water system, so certainly it was a learning experience for City staff.
With the benefit of hindsight, do you think the City should have done anything differently? And, if so, what?
Yes, there are things we would do differently now, given the benefit of hindsight. For one, we would have been more proactive in our communication with the public rather than following the recommendations we were given. From the technical aspect, we would have been much more aggressive in how we flushed this sample station prior to the initial retest taken on Friday, July 11. This also revealed that the smallest of items, like keeping a rubber cap on the sample spigot, can have a huge impact. We have since made sure every sample station has these rubber caps and are in proper working order.
Is there anything else we should know?
Bartlesville is fortunate to have an incredible and dedicated City staff. No one hesitated to come in and work over the weekend — from the water plant team and communications staff to the independent laboratory. Everyone worked tirelessly to provide information, flush lines, test, sample, and coordinate efforts. We even drove samples to the testing laboratory in Tulsa at 8 p.m. on Saturday, enabling the ODEQ to lift the boil order in just over 24 hours. Our City Councilors helped answer the public’s questions, and several members of the community reached out to express support. We are grateful to everyone who helped make a difficult situation a little better, thanks to their hard work and dedication to our city.