The Jay Utilities Authority receives $10,600,000 water system funding from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Jay Utilities Authority (Authority) received approval for $10,600,000 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 the Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), where $800,000 will be in the form of loan forgiveness, and $2,000,000 from Indian Health Services.  

The Authority will utilize the proceeds to construct a two (2)-million gallons per day (MGD) water treatment plant which includes: one (1) rapid mix basin, two (2) 1.0-MGD pulsating clarifiers, four (4) 0.69-MGD declining rate cluster filters, three (3) 1.0-MGD high service pumps, and  one (1) new chemical feed building. These improvements will ensure that the Authority continues to meet Surface Water Treatment Rule requirements and can provide an adequate supply of drinking water. 

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $6,160,000 over the life of the 30-year loan compared to traditional financing.  The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, sanitation, and gas systems and a one (1) cent sales tax, and a mortgage. The Jay Utilities Authority’s Chairman, Becki Farley, and Treasurer, Kay Pickup, attended the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application. Ms. Farley stated, “Our water plant is over 50 years old. The community of Jay appreciates the Board’s consideration of this project.”   

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 Micheal Bergstrom and State Representative Josh West 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