The Mustang Improvement Authority Receives $6,110,000 Wastewater System Loan from the ORWB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mustang Improvement Authority (Authority) received approval for a $6,110,000 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 recently conducted a detailed utility audit, which included site visits, meter testing, and engineering evaluations. The assessment found that the system’s 8,049 water meters are aging, no longer accurate, and contributing to real and apparent water loss. To address these issues, the proposed project will replace all existing meters with a modern automated metering infrastructure (AMI) system that uses cellular technology to improve accuracy, reduce water loss, and eliminate manual meter reading. By improving meter performance, the project will also lessen the amount of water that ultimately requires treatment and decrease the volume of treated effluent discharged to the Canadian River. These upgrades will enhance operational efficiency, protect local water resources, and support long-term system reliability for the community.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,240,900 when compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water and sewer services, as well as a 4 cents sales tax.
The Authority’s officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Mustang Assistant City Manager Justin Battles and Project & Stormwater Manager David Russell. “We appreciate the work that you all have done with us in the past to help us move some projects forward. This project we are looking to do is a tremendous upgrade for the City of Mustang,” said Russell. “It will replace all 8,000 plus water meters in the City of Mustang, as well as design and implement a customer portal so that all our water system customers will have near real-time access to their water usage, have the ability to go into that account to set up warnings for leak detection notices, and things like that. It will help bring our water system into the next generation and provide a very substantial benefit to our residents and customers.”
"Strategic investments in infrastructure are essential to our long-term success as a state… Especially in Mustang and Canadian county, the fastest growing county in Oklahoma. As we continue investing in ourselves, we position Oklahoma to win for our children, families, and communities… Now and for generations to come,” said Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang.
“We are grateful to State Senator Paul Rosino and State Representative Brian Hill for their 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
