Shawnee Municipal Authority receives $1,000,000 grant for dam improvements
OKLAHOMA CITY –The Shawnee Municipal Authority (Authority) received approval for $1,000,000 in funding Thursday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s infrastructure. Planning and design of upgrades and improvements to the dam will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program along with two FEMA High Hazard Potential Dam Grants totaling $164,745.
The Authority owns and operates Shawnee City Lake No.1 dam which forms Shawnee City Lake No.1. This lake provides a raw water source to the City of Shawnee, with over 12,000 customers. The dam is currently in unsatisfactory condition according to the results of a geophysical study that was completed in April of 2023 which showed piping voids and dispersive soils on sections of the embankment. The proposed project includes the planning, design, and construction for repairing the downstream slope based on the full geophysical study.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’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 State Senator Shane Jett and State Representative Dell Kerbs for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
####
Contact:
Yohanes Sugeng
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
(405) 530-8800
Yohanes.sugeng@owrb.ok.gov
