Woods County Rural Water District No. 1 Receives $863,761 Water System Loan with $431,881 in Principal Forgiveness from the OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Woods County Rural Water District No. 1 (District) received approval for an $863,761 loan with $431,880.67 in principal forgiveness 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 Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).
The District operates a water system that primarily receives water through a transmission line connected to Alva Utilities Authority. This aging transmission line is deteriorating, resulting in numerous leaks and increasing water loss for the District. The proposed project will construct a new 8-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) water line to help maintain water pressure, reduce water loss, and ensure a reliable water supply for the residents and businesses in and near the District.
Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $1,531,581 over the life of the 30-year loan compared to traditional financing. The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the District’s water revenues and will include a mortgage on the water system. This is the District’s first loan with the OWRB.
Rural Water District No. 1, Woods County, Oklahoma’s officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Chairman Jeff Schwerdtfeger and Secretary and Treasurer Jim Jacobs. “We really appreciate the opportunity,” said Schwerdtfeger. “Our main line imploded over nine years ago and we are trying to work on the back-up line that has failed four times in the last year and a half. We have been without water for two or three days each time. We greatly appreciate the consideration and all the people who have helped us get to where we are at this point.”
"This loan from the OWRB will provide critical support for Woods County Rural Water District No. 1 as it replaces a deteriorating transmission line that has caused leaks and water loss,” said Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee. “The new waterline will help maintain reliable water pressure and ensure residents receive the water they need in an affordable manner for Woods County."
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 Casey Murdock and State Representative Carl Newton 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 Water Resources Board has approved over $9.3 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.
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Contacts:
Lori Johnson
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Chief, Financial Assistance Division
(405) 530-8800
Lori.Johnson@owrb.ok.gov
Isaac Cornelson
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
(405) 702-8104
Isaac.Cornelson@deq.ok.gov
