Nowata water set to be shut off early Thurs. due to feared contamination from Kansas plant explosion

NOWATA — The city of Nowata’s water supply was scheduled to be shut off early Thursday due to possible contamination in the Verdigris River caused by a chemical plant explosion in Kansas.

The water was to be shut off around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, said Jeff Grissom, Nowata County emergency manager.

Nowata stopped pulling water from the Verdigris River on Wednesday afternoon as a precaution, said Erin Hatfield, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman.

The city has about 10 hours worth of usable water in its storage tower, Hatfield said, and once that runs out, emergency management officials and the Oklahoma National Guard will provide bottled water and water tanks as needed.

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