Engineers present 60% design for Mesa Water Project; phase 3 estimated at $21.5 million

At an open utilities meeting, project engineers presented the 60% design for the Mesa Water Project, a multi‑phase effort to bring new groundwater supply and conveyance to Guymon. The design package for phase 3 includes about 18,000 feet of 18‑inch high‑density polyethylene (HDPE) raw‑water transmission main, two 850,000‑gallon concrete ground storage tanks (1.7 million gallons combined), a packaged booster pump station and disinfection facilities. Engineers estimated phase 3 construction at about $21.5 million and said final design is scheduled for Feb. 2026, with construction bidding targeted for early spring and work expected to begin in late spring pending permitting.

Why it matters: The Mesa Water Project is intended to reduce stress on Guymon’s existing supply by adding a remotely located well field and conveyance system that could produce an estimated 3 million to 5 million gallons a day. City staff and engineers said the new supply would improve system resiliency during high‑demand periods, large fires or infrastructure failures and reduce continuous run times on aging wells.

Project components and operations Engineers described the new well field roughly 7 miles north of Guymon, collection lines and an 18‑inch HDPE raw‑water transmission pipeline that would connect to the phase 2 production mains. The transmission main will feed two concrete ground storage tanks at the Mesa station; each tank is shown at about 850,000 gallons, roughly 70 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall. Raw water would be disinfected ahead of tank storage, and finished water would be pumped from the tanks through a 24‑inch final transmission line back into Guymon’s existing distribution system.

The booster pump station is shown as a packaged (prefabricated) system to be set on poured foundations. The packaged configuration is described as four duty pumps with one standby (4 duty/1 standby) and space allocated for a future fifth pump to accommodate potential additional sources. Engineers said the packaged station reduces on‑site construction time and may lower overall capital costs.

Controls, monitoring and reliability The design includes instrumentation and control integration to tie the new wells and tanks into the city’s existing supervisory control scheme. Level sensors in the ground storage tanks will trigger well pumps when tank levels fall; the booster station will operate in coordination with the city’s elevated storage tanks to maintain system pressure and storage. Engineers said adding the Mesa supply is intended to allow existing wells periodic downtime and reduce continuous pumping stress that can lower well efficiency over time.

Capacity, uncertainties and timeline Based on hydrogeological test wells drilled during the confirmation program, engineers reported a projected production range of about 3 million to 5 million gallons per day from the completed well field. They cautioned that exact production will not be known until production wells are drilled and pump‑tested during phase 2. Engineers characterized that uncertainty as a normal risk of well drilling and said final yields will determine ongoing operational plans.

Design status and permitting Engineers said the phase 3 design is 60% complete. They estimated final design completion in Feb. 2026, followed by state regulatory review and construction permitting. For phase 2 (production wells) they said final design is underway and that construction permitting with the state will take about two months before bidding.

Cost and funding Speakers discussed a $21.5 million estimate for the phase 3 construction package and a total project estimate of about $32 million. Staff said the State of Oklahoma included a $20 million line item in its appropriations for the project; engineers and staff also referenced a previously proposed Department of Energy grant of about $17.5 million that had been put on hold at the federal level. City staff warned the city will not count on frozen federal funds and said remaining project costs would likely fall to utility ratepayers unless additional grants materialize.

Local impacts and next steps Engineers and staff said the Mesa supply is intended to operate in tandem with Guymon’s roughly 15 existing wells and to offset peak demand rather than replace current production. Staff noted the system has reached 95–97% of pumping capacity in recent summers and that additional supply is needed to ensure fire flows and to reduce the risk of outages during heavy demand or maintenance. Project team members invited stakeholders to biweekly technical meetings and offered to meet with nearby property owners and utility partners to coordinate meter locations and power service.

No formal votes or binding decisions were recorded during the presentation; engineers and staff answered questions and said they will continue design, permitting and coordination work through final design and into construction preparation.