Through the 1890's this community depended entirely on springs and cistern for water. In 1899 the town was virtually destroyed by fire. Realizing the need for fire protection, construction soon began on the first water system which consisted of a four-inch line taking water from a nearby lake to a large cistern near the center of the downtown district.

By 1900 the population had increased to more than 4,000 citizens and in 1901 the first Bond Issue was passed for construction of the first water works to serve the expanding population. The facility was built on the west bank of the Arkansas River, at the confluence of the Verdigris, Grand and Arkansas Rivers, some five miles northeast of the downtown area, and is the same location as the present day Water Treatment Plant.

The treatment plant was built in 1934 and has been expanded and renovated several times. The last renovation took place in 1996. This work replaced the existing control system with a computerized Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system better know as a SCADA system. This allows the operators to monitor and control all of the treatment plant functions on a real time basis from a central location. In addition, the filter media was replaced and new chemical feed systems were installed.

As a result of these improvements along with the dedication and hard work of the City's staff, Muskogee's water treatment plant was voted "Plant of the Year" in 1997 and 1998 by the Oklahoma Operators Association.

The City of Muskogee provides drinking water to six rural water districts and four towns. The city receives its raw water from the Fort Gibson Reservoir, located approximately 7 miles north of Muskogee. Occasionally the city uses a secondary water supply which comes from the Grand River. These sources of water are classified as a surface water supply.