Guymon Wins State Water Award, Secures Future Supply

The City of Guymon received the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Water for 2060 Excellence Award at the Governor's Water Conference and Research Symposium in Norman on December 8, 2025. The award recognizes public entities that promote water use efficiency and conservation, reduce the need for new freshwater supplies, and benefit local or state economic activity. Guymon's Mesa Water Project meets those criteria through infrastructure expansion and operational reforms aimed at long term water security.

The Mesa Water Project is a multi phase undertaking that includes development of a deep water well field, a test well program, installation of collector pipelines, construction of a 17 mile transmission line, and integration with existing infrastructure. City officials say the program will deliver an additional five million gallons of water a day when fully operational, with a targeted completion date in 2026. That increase is intended to bolster drought resilience and support continued economic activity in the community and surrounding agricultural areas.

The award citation requires recipients to fall into eligible categories such as public water supply, energy and industry, or crop irrigation and agriculture production, and to have implemented projects by the nomination deadline. City departments collaborated throughout the Mesa program, with Public Works providing water updates and Code Enforcement implementing temporary water restrictions to conserve existing supplies while construction proceeded. Those operational measures reduced immediate pressure on the system and demonstrated cross department coordination.

City Manager Mike Shannon said, "This award belongs to the people who never stopped pushing, our city staff, our engineers, our partners, and the community that supported us every step of the way. The Water for 2060 Excellence Award affirms that Guymon is leading the way in proactive, sustainable water management. I’m grateful for the team that made this achievement possible."

For Texas County residents the project alters the policy landscape. Expanded supply reduces near term urgency for costly emergency water purchases and gives municipal leaders more policy space to craft rate structures, capital maintenance plans, and conservation programs. The project also raises questions of ongoing governance, including oversight of operating costs, transparency around construction budgets, and continued public engagement as system operations shift toward long term management. Successful delivery of the Mesa Water Project is likely to strengthen public confidence in local government performance and shape civic dialogue around infrastructure investment in the years ahead.