The Moore Public Works Authority Receives $24,290,000 Wastewater System Loan from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Moore Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for a $24,290,000 loan on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s wastewater infrastructure. Construction of upgrades and improvements to the wastewater system will be financed by the Oklahoma Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).
The Authority’s wastewater treatment system is facing structural deterioration, corrosion, ventilation failures, and odor control issues that are creating operational and safety challenges. To address these concerns, the proposed project includes major structural, mechanical, electrical, and ventilation upgrades across the facilities, such as replacing the roof and ventilation system at the headworks building, removing the deteriorated digester building, installing new aluminum digester covers, replacing the roof ridge vent, and adding louvers in the sequence batch reactor (SBR) building. Additional upgrades include sandblasting and coating structural steel, installing ventilation improvements in the UV/EPS building, and installing a new aeration system for the north storm pond consisting of blowers, diffusers, air piping, instrumentation, HVAC upgrades, and all associated appurtenances necessary to complete the project. These improvements will extend the life of the Authority’s infrastructure, enhance worker safety, improve odor and moisture control, and ensure reliable wastewater treatment for the growing community.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $7,540,300 when compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, and sanitation services, as well as a 3 cent sales tax.
The Moore Public Works Authority’s officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Moore City Manager Brooks Mitchell. “On behalf of the City of Moore, I would like to thank the OWRB, the Board, and the staff for their hard work and their consideration on this project,” said Mitchell. “We appreciate the long-term relationship that we’ve hard and look forward to working together in the future.”
“I’m pleased to see the Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan for Moore approved,” said Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore. “This investment will address critical needs at our wastewater treatment facility. It’s an important step toward protecting public health and ensuring clean, dependable service for more than 62,000 residents across Moore.”
“We are grateful to State Legislators from the Moore area for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.The CWSRF program is administered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The CWSRF program has provided approximately $2.9 billion in water quality 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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Contact:
Lori Johnson
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Chief, Financial Assistance Division
(405) 530-8800
Lori.Johnson@owrb.ok.gov
