OKLAHOMA CITY –The City of Shawnee (City) received approval for $9,931,194 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the City’s water and sewer infrastructure. Construction of upgrades and improvements to the water and sewer system will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program.
The City will utilize the proceeds to replace over 25,000 linear feet of water lines and 7,500 linear feet of sewer lines to provide reliable water service and prevent future failures within the service area.
Shawnee’s Director of Engineering, Seth Barkhimer, stated, “We appreciate the opportunity to be considered for this grant.”
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the City’s customers will save an estimated $15,423,600 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 SB 13 for 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 $6.2 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
“We are grateful to State Legislators from the Shawnee metro area 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
