Hughes County Rural Water District No. 6 receives $1,000,000 grant for system improvements

OKLAHOMA CITY –The Hughes County Rural Water District No. 6 (District) received approval for $1,000,000 in funding Thursday 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 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program.  

The District owns and operates a water distribution system with 2-inch water lines which is causing residents to experience inadequate water pressure during high demand times. The District will utilize the proceeds to replace 3.25 miles of 2-inch water lines with new 6-inch PVC pipe and to construct a new 100,000-gallon standpipe.  

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $1,637,400 compared to traditional financing.  

The ARPA grant program is administered by the OWRB with funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and appropriated through the Water and Wastewater American Rescue Plan Act grants program. This OWRB program has been structured to provide communities and other eligible entities financial resources necessary to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs within their systems. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $7.0 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.  

“We are grateful to Hughes County legislators for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB. 

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Contact: 
Joe Freeman 
Oklahoma Water Resources Board 
(405) 530-8800 
Joe.Freeman@owrb.ok.gov