Enid Kaw Lake Water Supply Program achieves another significant milestone

The City of Enid, Oklahoma, is celebrating the beginning of a new era of sustainable water.

Dignitaries from across the state gathered recently for a ceremonial groundbreaking of a new Water Treatment Plant in Enid, Oklahoma, which will serve as a key element to the Enid Kaw Lake Water Supply Program, the largest capital project in the City’s history.

When construction is complete in late 2023, a process that will be completed by Garver and Garney Construction, water will be pulled from Kaw Lake through a new pump and intake station. It will then travel nearly 70 miles through 30- and 36-inch-diameter pipes before it’s treated at the new 10.5 million gallon per day water treatment plant in Enid. The intake pumps and water treatment plant are designed to be expanded in the future to supply 21 million gallons of water per day. This will provide the residents of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma with a sustainable surface water supply that will meet their needs for the next half century and more.

“It’s impossible to overstate just how significant this project will be for the region,” said Chris Gdanski, Director of Engineering Services for the City of Enid. “In the decades ahead, as our city grows – with respect to our population, our economy, our geography – we’ll have the support of a safe, reliable water source. That is a tremendous gift.”

Still, even though the construction process has just begun, the groundwork started long before.

For five years, Garver has served as program manager for the Program, providing the City with crucial assistance. This has ranged from assisting with loan applications to communicating with key stakeholders, working with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality for design permitting compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act to coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, which issued a Finding of No Significant Impact in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act earlier this year.

“For a project this complex, there is no shortage of moving parts,” said Garver Water Program and Business Support Leader Jennifer Russell. “It’s taken a lot of work. But when you consider the long-term significance – that a community will have access to safe, reliable water for decades to come – it’s all worth it.”

To learn more about what Garver’s Water and Wastewater Team can do for you, visit our Water and Wastewater page.