Water fully restored to Lawton VA Center

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday that the water system remediation process at the Lawton Veterans Center has been completed.

Normal water operations were fully restored Sunday evening, and the facility has resumed all standard activities and services, officials said.

The chemical shock treatment of the facility’s water system was conducted to ensure the safety and well-being of residents following the detection of legionella in the Lawton home’s water system, officials said. Under the direction of ODVA Executive Director James Bynum, and with the support of a nationally recognized third-party water safety expert, all waterlines and the 717 water outlets in the facility were treated and sanitized over the weekend.

“Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of the veterans we serve,” Bynum said. “I am incredibly proud of the ODVA team and deeply appreciative of our community partners who stepped up to support the Lawton Home during this important operation. Their support enabled us to conduct this ‘must do’ remediation effort quickly while also minimizing the impact to our residents. On behalf of the ODVA, I want to thank everyone who played a role in making this happen.”

VA officials said Nov. 15 they would shut down the center’s water system that morning to flush lines. OVA Director of Communications Jennifer Bloomfield said that was done out of an “abundance of caution” to ensure no problems remained after testing earlier in the month found legionella in several sites within the center. The problem surfaced when a resident at the center was taken to the hospital with symptoms of pneumonia and was diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease.

That original finding left the center without water for seven days, while officials waited for test results. VA officials said last week they are putting protocols in place to ensure the problem won’t be repeated.