The Otis Water System pumps from 3 wells located 3.5 miles south of Otis into a 10-inch PVC supply line and 3 wells located approx. 2 miles east of the main wellfield that is pumped into the same 10” supply line.
The supply line feeds into the ground storage tanks located on the south side of Derrick Road and the Prairie View and Harkness Booster Stations located off of Old Cavern Hwy. Water leaves the ground storage tanks and feeds into the 2 booster tanks inside the Treatment Plant, between the ground storage tanks. A 12% sodium hypochlorite solution is injected into the suction at each booster pump line. The chlorinated water is pumped up into the top of the 150,000-gallon elevated storage (High Tower) on Derrick Road. The 75,000-gallon elevated storage tank (Low Tower) is located at the water office feeds water east on Bannister Road to Grandi Road, where it splits north and south. The Low Tower acts as a float valve for supplying water to that area based on demand. The storage capacity for the system is 1,550,000 million gallons.
Water for the Spencer section of the system, located on the south side of Carlsbad (north of the airport), is serviced by the City of Carlsbad, the system maintenance is provided by the Otis Mutual Domestic Water. This arrangement has been in existence for a number of years. There is no connection between the 2 systems at this time. Otis services approx. 160 connections at this time in this area.
Otis Mutual Domestic Water Consumers and Sewage Works Association (OMDWCSWA) provide potable water for over 4,300 people in an area covering 33 square miles in the Community of Otis, Eddy County, New Mexico. Otis is an unincorporated community located southeast of the City of Carlsbad, County of Eddy, in the state of New Mexico. The majority of the community is located south of and between U.S. 180/62 and U.S. 285 with several residents located between U.S. 285 and the Pecos River. The system is unique because it not only serves residential areas, it serves rural residents with livestock, as well as, quite a few agriculture industries.