Stillwater Utilities Authority receives $39,000,000 water system funding from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Stillwater Utilities Authority (Authority) received approval for $39,000,000 in funding Thursday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure.  The first request was for $2,000,000 financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program. The second totaled $37,000,000 through the Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) of which $1,000,000 is made available as loan forgiveness, along with $4,266,692 in proceeds from a previous DWSRF loan, a Congressional Directed Spending Grant totaling $5,000,000, and local funds of $7,114,806. 

The Authority owns and operates a water treatment plant that serves Stillwater and surrounding areas. The Authority will utilize the proceeds for water treatment plant (WTP) upgrades consisting of a new finished water pump station, a new recovery water pump station, and a new chemical building including lagoon improvements.  

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save a combined estimation of $15,741,000 compared to traditional financing. The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, and electric systems and a one (1) cent sales tax. Representatives of the Authority included Engineering Manager of Water Utilities, David Barth, and Senior Project Manager, Chris Humes. Mr. Barth stated, “On behalf of the city, thank you for the consideration of this loan. Our water plant is 40 years old, and this project will help our community with its water needs.” 

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 with the financial resources necessary to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs within their systems. 

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 Tom Dugger and Representative Trish Ranson for their support of the OWRB programs. 

#### 

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