Lawton's $64M Water Plan: New Wells Pumping, Old Mains Coming Out

Lawton’s water future is being built right now, well by well and pipe by pipe. Public Utilities Director Rusty Whisenhunt told the city’s Capital Improvements Program Advisory Committee that three of four planned wells in the $64 million alternate water supply project are drilled and producing 9.6 million gallons of groundwater daily. Reverse osmosis equipment at the Southeast Water Treatment Plant is about 30 percent designed, and a dewatering facility there is roughly one-third complete, with nearly half of its $14.79 million cost covered by EPA and American Rescue Plan Act grants.

Closer to neighborhoods, bids are tentatively set to open this month on a $3.5 million project to replace 5,400 linear feet of high-maintenance water mains in the Crosby Park Addition. On the west side, construction began in September on about 7,000 linear feet of new gravity sewer mains in the Industrial Park, a $2 million investment aimed at future development. The broader alternate supply effort is funded by five grants plus a $50 million loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

For residents, the payoff is simple: fewer main breaks, a more dependable water supply, and infrastructure ready for the growth that comes with being a Fort Sill community. It isn’t flashy, but it’s the kind of planning that pays off for decades. What would you want the city to tackle next on its infrastructure list? Let us know.