By James Beaty | Managing editor Feb 17, 2021 Feb 17, 2021 McAlester city councilors held a special meeting Wednesday night to pass a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in the city of McAlester â which also gave the mayor an opportunity to ask citizens to conserve water while city crews searched for a water line break. The meeting to pass the emergency declaration had been scheduled prior to the water line break earlier Wednesday. After the council passed the emergency declaration, Browne said the city had a major water line break somewhere in the system, causing water levels in the city water towers to go down. He said the site of the break had not been located at the time of the meeting.