Press Release

Henryetta Municipal Authority receives $1,000,000 grant for dam improvements

OKLAHOMA CITY –The Henryetta Municipal Authority (Authority) received approval for $1,000,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s infrastructure.  Planning and design and improvements to the dams will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program.

The Authority owns and maintains two dams at Jim Hall Lake and Nichols Lake. The Nichols Lake spillway is in need of repair due to a collapsed headwall of the box culvert structure and several cracks in the retaining wall. As a non-point source pollution, failure of this dam could threaten the water quality of Coal Creek downstream of Nichols Lake. Jim Hall Lake is the primary water supply for the City of Henryetta. The dam's spillway is in need of repair due to corrosion and loss of subgrade material caused by deteriorated culverts beneath the roadway. The lack of an adequate spillway could result in the failure of the dam and loss of water supply should a severe rainfall occur which would erode the dam. 

The Authority will utilize these proceeds for planning and design of the Nichols Lake spillway repairs and construction of the Jim Hall Lake spillway repairs.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,633,900 compared to traditional financing.