Perkins Public Works Authority Receives $766,842 Water System Loan with Principal Forgiveness from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Perkins Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for a $766,842 loan with 100% principal forgiveness on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’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 Authority operates a public water distribution system. The funded project will remove and replace remaining lead service lines within the community’s water system to help meet current federal drinking water requirements and further protect public health. Lead can enter drinking water through older service lines and plumbing materials, posing potential health risks. By eliminating these lead-containing components, the project will improve water quality, enhance regulatory compliance, and provide safer, more reliable drinking water for residents and businesses throughout the Authority’s service area. This investment represents an important step toward modernizing the community’s water infrastructure and protecting public health for future generations.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,207,442 when compared to traditional financing.
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 Randy Grellner and State Representative Jim Shaw 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 $2.5 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 $8.7 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
