City of Tonkawa, Oklahoma

City of Tonkawa, Oklahoma City Government Tonkawa (the word translates as “they all stay together”) takes its name from the Tonkawa Tribe. Buck History and Welcome Center.

Native Americans, hardy pioneers, visionary educators, legendary oilmen, German prisoners of war and creative citizens have all left their marks on this city on the Salt Fork River just east of I-35. Because of abundant wheat production in the area, Tonkawa styles itself “Wheatheart of Oklahoma.”

The town entered the “Roaring Twenties” with the discovery of oil in the Tonkawa (Three Sands) Field

in 1929. Briefly known as “The Billion Dollar Spot”, Tonkawa’s population swelled to 10,000 and several beautiful homes and churches built during this time still stand in the city. German prisoners of war were housed in a POW camp during World War II. Northern Oklahoma College, established in 1901 as University Preparatory School, is the home of the Eleanor Hayes Art Gallery, which hosts outstanding exhibits by Oklahoma artists throughout the academic year, and of the A.D.

RC Rumble starts at NOON! Which remote control car will be the last car standing…. On the table.
08/15/2026

RC Rumble starts at NOON!
Which remote control car will be the last car standing…. On the table.

08/15/2026

These RC Tricks and Stunts are hotter than the temps! Come out to Blinn Park for the Good Vibration Car Show where the Ponca City RC Fanatics Club are on hand demoing their RC cars!

COME join in on all the fun in Downtown Tonkawa TONIGHT!!!RIDIN' GRAND from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.Burnout Contest at 7 p.m. ~ ...
08/14/2026

COME join in on all the fun in Downtown Tonkawa TONIGHT!!!

RIDIN' GRAND from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Burnout Contest at 7 p.m. ~ Downtown Restaurant Specials ~ Vendors ~ Food Trucks ~ Ponca City RC Fanatics Remote Control Cars Stunts, Tricks and Demos ~ Classic Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles ~ Great Music... Turn your RADIOS to 90.7 FM to hear it all!!!

BOIL ORDER UPDATETuesday Afternoon - 07/07/2026BOIL ORDER SUSPENDEDGreat news, Tonkawa!The Oklahoma Department of Enviro...
07/07/2026

BOIL ORDER UPDATE
Tuesday Afternoon - 07/07/2026
BOIL ORDER SUSPENDED

Great news, Tonkawa!

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has officially suspended the Mandatory Boil Order for the City of Tonkawa Water System after determining that the required corrective actions have been completed and water quality requirements have been met.

What does this mean?

You may resume using your tap water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing your teeth, and all other normal household and business uses.

Before returning to normal use, ODEQ recommends that residents and businesses:

Run cold water from each faucet for several minutes to flush household plumbing.

Discard any ice made during the boil order and make a fresh batch.

If you have a refrigerator water dispenser or filtration system, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for flushing or replacing filters if applicable.

The City would like to sincerely thank our residents, businesses, and visitors for your patience, understanding, and support throughout this process.

We also want to recognize our Water Department, Public Works, Police Department, Fire Department, administrative staff, volunteers, and community partners who worked tirelessly over the past week to respond to this event and restore safe drinking water to our community.

Thank you for standing with us. We know this has been a difficult and inconvenient week, but we're grateful for the way our community came together.

Welcome back to normal, Tonkawa!

07/07/2026

BOIL ORDER UPDATE
Tuesday Morning - 07/07/2026

The City of Tonkawa continues to work closely with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) as we move toward lifting the Mandatory Boil Order.

Our Water Department is nearing completion of the corrective directives prescribed by ODEQ. Based on our current understanding, once those directives have been completed and verified, ODEQ has advised the City that the boil order will be lifted.

Our crews continue to work diligently to complete the remaining items as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest standards for public health and safety.

We are still awaiting another shipment of bottled water at this time but have not been advised of the exact time of its arrival. We will update the community via this page and a NIXLE Alert when distribution sites are open.

We appreciate everyone's continued patience and support. We expect to have another update later this afternoon and will share additional information as soon as it becomes available.

** Not a Tonkawa NIXLE Subscriber? Simply text the word TONKAWA to 888777. You will receive a text reply. Follow enrollment instructions. Standard text messaging rates apply.

07/07/2026

BOIL ORDER UPDATE
Monday Evening - 07/06/2026

The City of Tonkawa would like to provide an update following today’s on-site visit by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ).

ODEQ personnel spent the day working with our Water Department and inspecting portions of our water system, including areas affected by the recent flooding. During that inspection, ODEQ identified additional mitigation measures they want completed before they will authorize lifting the boil order.

The good news is that our Water Department had already begun many of these improvements before today’s inspection. Because of that forward planning, work that could have taken several days is already well underway and, in many cases, has been completed in just a matter of hours.

While this was not the outcome we had anticipated based on our previous discussions, we now have a clear set of directives from ODEQ. Our crews are already working to complete every item as quickly as possible.

Once these directives have been satisfied, ODEQ has advised the City that they will lift the boil order.

We understand this is frustrating. It is frustrating for us as well. Our employees, while exhausted, have been working around the clock - throughout the holiday- to complete every requirement placed before us, and we will continue doing so until this matter is resolved. At this point, the timing of lifting the boil order remains subject to ODEQ’s review and approval.

We appreciate your continued patience and support. As always, we will keep you informed every step of the way.

07/06/2026

BOTTLED WATER DISTRIBUTION UPDATE - Afternoon 07/06/2026

Since 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the City of Tonkawa has distributed nearly 13,000 more bottles of drinking water to City of Tonkawa water customers.

At this time, our bottled water supply has been exhausted, and both distribution sites are temporarily out of water. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

We are actively working to secure another shipment and plan to have more bottled water available tomorrow. We will provide an update as soon as distribution details are confirmed.

We also expect to release another update soon regarding the status of the Mandatory Boil Order and information received from ODEQ.

Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support.

07/06/2026

BOTTLED WATER DISTRIBUTION UPDATE

The City of Tonkawa has received another shipment of bottled drinking water, and crews are currently placing pallets at one of the distribution locations used previously:

📍 114 S. 7th Street
(Parking lot across from the Tonkawa Utility Offices)

To help ensure that bottled water is distributed fairly to all City of Tonkawa water customers, a current City of Tonkawa utility bill will be required to receive water.

Distribution Guidelines:
💧 Maximum of two (2) cases per residence
💧 Please have your City of Tonkawa utility bill available when picking up your water.
💧 If you are picking up water on behalf of a neighbor, family member, or someone unable to come themselves, you must present a copy or photo of their City of Tonkawa utility bill.
💧 Distribution site will be open until 9 p.m. tonight or while supply lasts.
We will reopen tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. (opening times may change depending on availability - we will update).

These procedures are being implemented to help ensure that our limited bottled water supply reaches the residents and customers who are directly affected by the boil order. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation as we work to distribute this resource as fairly as possible.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work through this together.

07/06/2026

SPLASH PAD
CLOSED
07/06/2026
for System Maintenance

Address

113 S 7th Street
Tonkawa, OK
74653

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Website

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