Geary Utilities Authority Receives $2,100,000 Loan for Water and Wastewater System Improvements from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Geary Utilities Authority (Authority) received approval for a $2,100,000 Financial Assistance Program (FAP) loan on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve their water and wastewater infrastructure.
The Authority operates water and wastewater systems that serve the Geary community. The funded project will replace approximately 10 miles of aging water transmission line that has become increasingly prone to breaks and service disruptions, helping improve the reliability of drinking water delivery throughout the system. In addition, the Authority will complete a comprehensive evaluation of its sewer collection system to identify areas where excess water is entering the system and placing added strain on wastewater treatment facilities. These improvements will help reduce the risk of service interruptions, protect water quality, support environmental compliance, and guide future infrastructure investments. Together, the projects represent an important step toward ensuring safe, reliable, and sustainable utility services for residents and businesses in the community.
The estimated cost for the proposed projects is $1,900,000.00, which will be funded in part by a $376,000.00 grant through the Indian Health Service (IHS) and by the FAP loan not to exceed $2,100,000.00.
According to Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $629,800 when compared to traditional financing. The loan shall be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, gas, and electric services.
Local officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Engineer Matt Coe. “The crossing on the North Canadian River has been prone to failure, and this will provide some redundancy in that supply to their reverse osmosis plant, said Coe. “We will be addressing the project in phases. The first phase includes approximately 4,000 feet of 12-inch water line paralleling the existing raw water main. The sanitary sewer study is necessary because the community operates a total retention lagoon system that has been near the brink of overtopping several times. They have conducted a smoke test with the Oklahoma Rural Water Association and identified several major sources of inflow and infiltration (I&I). As a result, we will be developing a capital improvement plan and designing a couple of miles of sewer main replacements and manhole replacements to reduce I&I. These improvements will hopefully help avoid a bypass from the total retention facility and provide the community with a capital improvement plan to come back and pursue CWSRF (Clean Water State Revolving Fund) financing in the future.”
“We are grateful to State Senator Darcy Jech and State Representative Nick Archer for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
Since 1983, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board has approved over $8.7 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
Established in 1957, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) serves as the state’s water resources planning and development agency. A nine-member Board oversees the OWRB, with members appointed by the Governor to represent nine geographic regions and water-use sectors. The OWRB is committed to managing, protecting, and improving Oklahoma’s water resources to meet long-term water supply, water quality, flood mitigation, and infrastructure needs. For more information, visit Oklahoma.gov/owrb.
