08/19/2026
Water Issues Being Addressed
Blanchard has a serious water problem, as do many other cities in Oklahoma. It is currently being magnified by the statewide drought and extreme heat that we are dealing with. If we were to receive excessive rainfall and flooding over the next couple of months, the problem is still not going away. That is why over two years ago, Blanchard and Tuttle created the GMC (Grady McClain County) Utility Trust, to jointly address our water shortage. Earlier this year, the Trust purchased 10 acres of land, just north of Highway 37, near our current pump house. There they plan to construct a one-million-gallon water storage tank with booster pumps. The ground breaking for that water tank is planned for some time next month.
The GMC Trust has been working on how to address both of our city’s water problems. This initial project is only Phase One of the future long-term plans. Research has been done with the involvement of the Larson Group and the Chickasaw Nation. They have been working to identify multiple options for additional water sources and supply. Our engineers have estimated that this immediate water tank, with booster pumps, will cost around $10.3 million dollars. The trust is actively working on multiple potential sources of funding assistance. This is just one of the many reasons that Blanchard needs the public to support extending the current one penny sales tax on August 25th. The money that this one penny sales tax will generate is dedicated exclusively for capital investments and infrastructure improvements. Many of these projects are not sexy, or even visible, but extremely necessary.
When GMC builds this million-gallon storage tank, the engineers explain how it will immediately have significant impact on improving our current water issues. Blanchard is fed through a 12” line that comes from Oklahoma City, under the river, to our current pump station. At different times, and especially during drought conditions, OKC’s local demand increases so much that they cannot send Blanchard enough water to our line. After reviewing the situation, our engineers came up with the following solution. They have calculated that the city is not utilizing the current line to full capacity. When we build this large storage tank, the plan is for that tank to refill overnight or during low demand times. When high demand times occur and OKC cannot provide this us with enough volume of water, the water stored in the tank, along with the new booster pumps, will be able to make up for that shortage of supply and provide a lot more water than we currently receive. According to their calculations, this equipment will increase both the volume of water moved thru that 12“ line, and increase the water pressure by as much as 50%.
The city has also added an easy to find button on their website home page. It is called “City Projects and News”. There they will post all of these proposed projects. You will be able to follow as the priority of projects are determined, what each project is estimated to cost, track the amount of tax collected, each projects expenses, follow a projects progress and see estimated completion dates. The current section line road project will also be listed under this same link.
That is a major reason why the passage of this current sales tax extension is so important. There are many projects on the citizens wish list. That long list exists because we listened to all citizens ideas and suggestions on the Ad-Hoc Citizens Committee. They also added to the list after hearing from those citizens who attended the three Town Hall meetings. One person’s suggestion might be considered a waste of money for another. Just because it is listed does not mean it will get done in the foreseeable future. We must address our serious problems and needs first! Keep in mind that it must be listed there to be considered for funding, with those funds collected for this dedicated tax. This is also why the actual ballot language is so long. They must be there to be included. Some items probably will not even occur in my lifetime. Regardless, we must look to the future, plan accordingly. We must stop being reactive and become more pro-active!
