Hobbs utilities report: city relies on Ogallala groundwater, advances major meter and sewer projects

Tim Woomer, Hobbs’ utilities director, told the City Commission on March 3 that the city remains fully dependent on groundwater from the Ogallala aquifer and has completed a water and wastewater master plan to guide future infrastructure and funding decisions.

Woomer said the city’s long-running conservation program (May 15–Sept. 15) has held total summer consumption roughly flat even as the number of active meters grew from about 2,081 in 2010 to an average 14,316 in 2024. "Essentially over the 10 year period, we've saved one year over one year of produced water at about 3,000,000,000 gallons on average," he said.

The nut graf: the report frames Hobbs’ near‑term capital priorities around maintaining supply and replacing aging infrastructure while giving residents new tools to monitor and manage water use.

Woomer described the city’s supply and capacity in detail. The city operates about 32 production wells, with average depths near 240 feet and production per well ranging between about 300 and 1,000 gallons per minute; typical daily production is roughly 8–12 million gallons, with a stated total pumping capacity of 28,820,000 gallons per day. The commission was told the system includes approximately 10,000,000 gallons of ground storage and about 2,000,000 gallons in three elevated towers (12,000,000 gallons total), and that average pumping currently outstrips the aquifer’s slow recharge.

On system upgrades, Woomer outlined several active and planned projects: a multiyear water‑line replacement program that has replaced roughly 30 miles to date and is advertised to bid the next three miles as a roughly $3,000,000 project; a sewer manhole rehabilitation program that used cured‑in‑place epoxy lining to repair 50 manholes in 2024 with another 50 targeted this year; and a Phase 9 pipeline replacement for a deteriorated reinforced concrete sewer line that Woomer said must be replaced quickly to avoid further collapses.

Woomer said the wastewater treatment plant operates at a 5,000,000‑gallon‑per‑day rated capacity (capable of serving a population a little over 60,000 in its current state), uses mechanical screening and aeration basins in its process, and discharges a high‑quality Class B effluent that the city reuses for the municipal golf course, a local farmer (non‑food crops), three city cemeteries and the MLK soccer complex. "We're reusing 100% of our produced effluent water," he said.

The commission heard that solids from the plant are reused as a soil amendment and that the department recently repaired the thermal dryer main bearings. Woomer also noted a $7,000,000 SCADA and control system replacement underway for the water and wastewater operations, and he said the project is expected to finish late this year or in early 2026.

On customer service and conservation tools, Woomer described the city’s transition to cellular smart meters (automated meter infrastructure). The new meters pair with an app and customer portal that provides daily water alerts and leak notifications; customers and staff can view individual usage to investigate high bills. "It will give you an alert for a leak…and it also shows up in the top right that there's no leak detected at this time," Woomer said, demonstrating the app. Staff told the commission they send setup instructions when meters are changed, provide pamphlets and will help residents install and use the app if needed.

Commissioners asked about awards and staffing certifications; Woomer said the department had won multiple state recognition awards for operations and safety and that Hobbs employs a larger complement of certified operators than typical for comparable systems. Commissioners and staff thanked the utilities team for operational performance.

The report closes with a request for continued funding and planning to match Hobbs’ growth and infrastructure needs; commissioners said they expect regular updates as the listed capital projects proceed.