Okmulgee County Rural Water District No. 4 Receives $2,020,000 Loan for Water System Improvements from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – Okmulgee County Rural Water District No. 4 (District) received approval for a $2,020,000 Financial Assistance Program (FAP) loan on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve their water infrastructure.
The District owns and operates a water distribution system consisting of approximately 120 miles of water mains and one active elevated storage tank. The existing water storage capacity does not meet the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) requirements. To address this deficiency and improve system reliability and water quality, the proposed project will construct a new, 250,000-gallon elevated storage tank to address this deficiency and improve water quality and system reliability.
According to Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, the District’s customers will save an estimated $491,200 when compared to traditional financing. The loan shall be secured with a lien on the revenues of the District’s water services and a mortgage on the water system.
Local officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Brian King, Okmulgee County Rural Water District No. 4’s District Manager. “Thank you for your consideration on this,” said King.
“This is a major investment that will help Okmulgee County bring our water storage infrastructure into compliance with current standards,” said Senator Bryan Logan, R-Paden. “Upgrading this facility will improve the reliability of our water supply and ensure ready access to clean water. On behalf of Senate District 8, I extend appreciation to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for this $2 million investment to support rural Oklahoma.”
"Every water customer deserves clean, drinkable water, and this funding will help meet that need," Representative Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, said. "I'm grateful for this funding being made available to this rural water district."
"The promise of improved quality of water and its reliable delivery is great news for the residents of this rural water district," Representative Tim Turner, R-Kinta, said. "I'm grateful to OWRB for the assistance to this area."
“We are grateful to State Senator Bryan Logan, State Representative Scott Fetgatter and State Representative Tim Turner 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 $8.75 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.
