Guymon asks residents to conserve water as summer demand rises
Guymon’s water demand hit 60.4% as summer heat pushed usage up, but Stage 2 restrictions stayed in force under the city’s active conservation proclamation.
Guymon is heading into the hottest stretch of the year with water use climbing, Stage 2 restrictions still in place and a new set of water-status graphics meant to show residents exactly where the system stands. City officials said the point is not simply to warn people, but to make the pressure on the supply easier to track as households, businesses and city crews navigate lawn watering, pool use and fire protection.
The city’s water-updates page listed current demand at 60.4 percent as of June 1, 2026, at 9:36 a.m., and identified the system as Stage 2: Water Warning by Proclamation. Under Guymon’s Water Conservation Plan, Stage 1 begins when demand exceeds 75 percent of production capacity for two or more days in one week, Stage 2 starts above 90 percent and Stage 3 above 95 percent. Even so, city officials said the July 9, 2024 water conservation proclamation remains active until conditions change or further notice is issued.
That distinction matters for residents who are trying to figure out whether a cooler day means the rules have eased. It does not. Guymon said outdoor watering restrictions are still in effect, including odd-even watering schedules, no watering on Wednesday and a watering window limited to after 7 p.m. and before 11 a.m. The city said those limits are still tied to the proclamation, not just to one day’s demand figure.
The new water-status graphics are now live and will appear on the city website, the water-updates page and future public notices. City officials said the graphics are designed to show current demand levels, conservation stages and outdoor watering guidance in a color-coded format, a move that puts more information in front of the public as demand rises again.
Guymon has been under pressure for months. In March 2025, the city issued a Water Emergency Proclamation that cut lawn irrigation to one day a week, with odd-numbered addresses watering on Saturday and even-numbered addresses watering on Sunday after elevated nitrate levels were traced to a single well that had to be shut down. The current rules are less severe than that emergency, but the city has made clear the system is still tight.
Longer term, Guymon says the Mesa Well Project is intended to provide potable water for decades, and that the only other local source of water is purified potable reuse. In June 2026, the city said the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality approved construction plans for the water-supply expansion project, moving it into Phase II for drilling and development of new production wells. City officials said the project is meant to add capacity and improve reliability as the city keeps stretching limited supplies in the Ogallala aquifer.
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