Mayes County Rural Water District No. 8 Receives $169,691 Water System Funding from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Rural Water District No. 8, Mayes County, Oklahoma (District) received approval for a $169,691 loan with 100% principal forgiveness on 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).
The District operates a water system and will use the funding to replace its outdated metering equipment with a modern automated meter reading (AMR) system. The project includes installing 130 new water meters equipped with telemetry, which allows meter data to be collected remotely. This upgrade will improve billing accuracy, enhance the District’s ability to identify leaks, and reduce water loss which will strengthen overall system efficiency and support reliable service for residents and businesses.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $269,391 compared to traditional financing.
“I appreciate the Oklahoma Water Resources Board working with Mayes County Rural Water District No. 8 to secure this critical funding. These are important projects we need to focus on when looking at infrastructure funding,” said Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair.
"This grant from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board is a meaningful investment in the future of Mayes County’s water system,” said Rep. Josh West, R-Grove. “Moving to an automated meter reading system and replacing aging meters with telemetry-enabled technology will improve billing accuracy, strengthen system oversight and make daily operations more efficient. These upgrades help provide a more reliable water supply for residents while saving local water operators' time and resources."
“This funding supports important improvements to our local water system in Mayes County. Modernizing these meters will help improve reliability for families and businesses. I appreciate the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for investing in communities like ours and supporting dependable infrastructure across rural Oklahoma,” Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita, said.
Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB, and Rob Singletary, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), express their sincere appreciation to State Senator Micheal Bergstrom and State Representatives Josh West and Rusty Cornwall for their support of the DWSRF program.
The DWSRF program is administered by the OWRB and ODEQ with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The DWSRF program has provided approximately $2.4 billion in drinking water loans to provide communities with 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 $8.6 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
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Contacts:
Lori Johnson
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Chief, Financial Assistance Division
(405) 530-8800
Lori.Johnson@owrb.ok.gov
Isaac Cornelson
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
(405) 702-8104
Isaac.Cornelson@deq.ok.gov
