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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - A Historic Investment in Water for Oklahoma and how funds will flow through the state's SRF programs.

Consolidated Rural Water District No. 9, McIntosh County (District) received approval for $695,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the District’s water infrastructure.  Construction of upgrades and improvements to the water system will be financed by the Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) where $300,000 of the loan will be in the form of loan forgiveness.

The District will utilize the proceeds to construct two chlorine booster stations and for improvements to their storage tank. Disinfecting drinking water has reduced waterborne disease drastically. However, byproducts which may result by the disinfection can sometimes have unintended effects. Therefore, by addressing this issue, this project helps to meet the public health goals for the state.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $574,900 over the life of the 20-year loan compared to traditional financing.  The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the District’s water system and a mortgage. 

The DWSRF program is administered by the OWRB and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The DWSRF program has provided approximately $2 billion in drinking water loans to provide communities the resources necessary to maintain and improve the infrastructure that protects our valuable water resources statewide.

Since 1983, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board has approved over $5.7 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB, and Scott Thompson, Executive Director of the ODEQ, express their sincere appreciation to State Senator Roger Thompson and Representatives Avery Frix, Randy Randleman, and David Smith for their support of the DWSRF program.

The Mountain Park Public Works Authority (Authority) in Kiowa County received approval for a $99,999 Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant Monday through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure.

The Authority will use the proceeds to construct an in-tank aeration system for water circulation. Disinfecting drinking water has reduced waterborne disease drastically. However, byproducts which may result by the disinfection can sometimes have unintended effects. Therefore, by addressing this issue, this project helps to meet the public health goals for the state. The estimated cost of the project is $99,999 which is the amount of the requested REAP grant.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the grant will save the Authority’s customers $150,500 in principal and interest charges by not having to borrow the project funds. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $5.5 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to Senator Brent Howard and Representative Gerrid Kendrix for their continued support of water and wastewater infrastructure funding in Oklahoma,” said Julie Cunningham, OWRB Executive Director.