Rural Water District No. 17 LeFlore County, Oklahoma Receives $1,150,000 Grant for Water System Improvements from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rural Water District No. 17 LeFlore County, Oklahoma (District) received approval for $1,150,000 in funding 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 OWRB American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program along with $2,308,925 in Choctaw Nation funds.
The District has aging infrastructure and waterlines that need to be replaced. The Choctaw Nation has started a waterline replacement project for the District. This additional funding will help extend the ongoing waterline replacement project by replacing an additional approximately 550 linear feet of 6-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) waterline, 16,000 linear feet of 4-inch HDPE waterline, and 7,179 linear feet of 2-inch HDPE waterline, plus all appurtenances required to complete the project. The estimated cost of the entire project is $3,458,925.00, which will be funded by an OWRB Tribal ARPA Grant of $1,150,000.00 and $2,308,925.00 from the Choctaw Nation.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $1,864,300 compared to traditional financing.
“This investment in LeFlore County Rural Water District No. 17 will help replace aging waterlines and strengthen the long-term reliability of the system serving local residents,” said Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard. “I appreciate the partnership between the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the Choctaw Nation to expand this important infrastructure project. By replacing thousands of feet of outdated waterlines, this effort will improve service capacity and help ensure families and businesses have access to safe, dependable water. Projects like this demonstrate what can be accomplished when state and tribal partners work together to address critical infrastructure needs in our communities.”
“We are grateful to State Senator George Burns, State Representative Rick West and State Representative Eddy Dempsey for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
The ARPA grant program is administered by the OWRB with funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act grants program. This OWRB program has been structured to provide communities and other eligible entities with the financial resources necessary to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs within their systems.
Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $8.3 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.
