Water Production provides our most valuable resources … water.
Johnny Brown, Water Plant Superintendent, and his department operate the City’s Water Plant. In 1937 Elk City moved the Water Plant from a small reservoir east of town to the existing plant using water wells. The water wells are supplied by Alluvium Terrace Deposits (composed of unconsolidated sand and gravel deposits) of the Northfork of the Red River. Currently, the City has 68 operating wells with an additional 9,093 acres of water rights. The water rights are protected for future use by the Well Head Protection Program where surface rights are managed in order to restrict pollutants.
Once the water has reached the water plant Chlorine is added. We have a 500,000 Gallon ground storage tank and a 500,000 gallon clear well. The plant has the capability of pumping 8,400 GPM (Gallons per Minute) with a backup pump operated off of a Detroit engine capable of pumping 1,500 GPM. We also have three generators that run portions of the well field and the pumps at the plant. This will allow us to keep water flowing to Elk City in case of power outages or many types of natural disasters. Then, the water is pumped through three main transmission lines, two 24” and a 20” The transmission lines are tied in with the distribution system to keep a constant supply of water Elk City Water Productionto the city, they are also tied on to three ground storage tanks capable of storing 9 million gallons of water. This allows us to have a sufficient supply of water in case of any emergencies or natural disasters and also allows us to shut off pumps at the plant to conserve electricity. Elk City has long been a supporter of conserving electrical usage and working with our Rural Electric Cooperative.
As you can imagine keeping a city of over 10,000 in water is a complex task. Numerous safeguards and safety procedures are in place to see that residents enjoy an uninterrupted flow of quality water which can range from 2 million gallons a day to 7 million gallons a day depending on the time of year.
Inquiries or Emergencies
For Questions about your water bill, new service connections, or leaks please contact City Hall at 580-225-3230
