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Norman, Oklahoma, is asking its residents to be mindful of their water use.
This isn't because of a drought, but the call for water conservation is because of a regional uptick in COVID-19 cases.
"It was one of those phone calls you get that you really hadn't ever anticipated," Norman's City Manager Darrel Pyle told KOKH. "I've been in this business for 32 years and this is the first."
Liquid oxygen is used to treat the ground water in Norman. However, this is currently a shortage of liquid oxygen because it's being used to help COVID-19 patients.
"Hospitals and other healthcare facilities caring for patients in need of essential medical treatments such as high-flow oxygen therapy and ventilator support are receiving priority service from such vendors resulting in a reduction in the amount of oxygen products available to municipal water agencies," the city said in a statement last week.
Norman residents may start noticing a change in their water's taste, smell, and color. The water is still safe to use and drink.
Pyle expects the liquid oxygen shortage to last for another month.
So far, Norman is the only Oklahoma city asking people to conserve water.
The city of Tulsa said it will not ask its residents to conserve water because it does not use additional oxygen to treat its water supply, News On 6 reported.