OKLAHOMA CITY –The Westville Utility Authority (Authority) received approval for $1,000,000 in funding Tuesday 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 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program along with a bank loan totaling $922,000.
The Authority owns and operates a water distribution system that serves approximately 750 customers in the town of Westville. The current storage facility is insufficient to meet water demands during droughts or emergencies. These proceeds will be used to construct a 250,000-gallon elevated storage tank to address the issue.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,553,200 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 $7.1 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
“We are grateful to State Senator Tom Woods and State Representative David Hardin for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
####
Contact:
Joe Freeman
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
(405) 530-8800
Joe.Freeman@owrb.ok.gov
