The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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October 28, 2009

City of Enid looking to expand well field

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer

When you turn on the faucet, water comes out cool and clear, bubbling up as it hits the bottom of the sink.

That is a minimum service residents of any community expect and receive. In a community like Enid, which is projected to grow, the city is responsible for making sure water is there in 40 to 50 years.

Robert Hitt, director of engineering for the city, goes by a water master plan that was adopted by Enid City Commission. Based on that plan, the city needs to develop an additional water supply and currently is exploring both surface water and expanding its well field.

“We’re working on the analysis now. We’re also going after a detailed analysis of expanding the well field. That will be looked at this year,” Hitt said.

The city has more than 140 wells in operation, many of which are 50 years old or older. During the mid-1980s the city added 32 wells, which sustained the city until about three years ago when it began its expansion program.

“Water wells have a life of about 50 years,” Hitt said. “When they no longer produce like they used to they need to be replaced or offset. We have a program and do about three wells a year or more.”

The city is trying to get ahead of the curve, and in the last three years replaced or refurbished 12 wells as part of an ongoing program. Enid has a capacity of producing 21 million gallons of water a day, Hitt said, and the summer peak has reached 18 million gallons.

When the city explored the possibility of recruiting ethanol plants for economic development officials became concerned about the amount of water they would need. An ethanol plant could add a million gallons of water a day to the city’s needs, Hitt said.

“Even though we have the capacity to recover, it was less so three years ago when we were just starting our well replacement program,” Hitt said.

The master water plan projects out to 2050 and expects Enid’s water needs to include a population of more than 65,000, including some outlying water users. Considering that population and the industrial growth that would go with it, he said, the average daily use will top 18 million gallons, twice the amount it is now.

“The average will double over the next 40 years, and we don’t have double capacity now,” he said.

Estimates for water updates depend on which option the city chooses, and costs ranges from $247 million to $282 million. Currently, the cost to develop a lake south of Enid is about $222 million, which is part of the $282 million cost.

“Things of this magnitude will be costly,” Hitt said.

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