Nowata Municipal Authority receives $737,900 water system funding from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Nowata Municipal Authority (Authority) received approval for $737,900 in funding Thursday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure.  Construction of upgrades and improvements to the water system will be financed by a 100% principal forgiveness loan through the Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) along with $1,150,000 from an OWRB Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, $1,000,000 from a Cherokee Nation ARPA grant, and $836,000 from Indian Health Services.  

The Authority will utilize the proceeds for construction of one (1) 0.5-million gallon composite water storage tower with an aeration system and upgraded water treatment plant high service pumps. These improvements will reduce the disinfectant byproduct levels in the distribution system. Disinfecting drinking water has reduced waterborne disease drastically. However, byproducts which may result from the disinfection can sometimes have unintended effects. Therefore, by addressing this issue, this project helps to meet the public health goals for the state.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,249,500 compared to traditional financing.   

The DWSRF program is administered by the OWRB and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The DWSRF program has provided approximately $2.1 billion in drinking water loans to provide communities 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 $7.0 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma. 

Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB, and Scott Thompson, Executive Director of the ODEQ, express their sincere appreciation to State Senator Julie Daniels, State Representative Rusty Cornwell, and State Representative Judd Strom for their support of the DWSRF program. 

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Contacts: 

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

Candy Thompson 
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality 
(405) 702-8100 
Candy.Thompson@deq.ok.gov