Arbuckle Master Conservancy District receives $6,250,000 grant from OWRB
OKLAHOMA CITY –The Arbuckle Master Conservancy District (District) received approval for $6,250,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the District’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 $6,000,000 in Chickasaw Tribal matching funds.
The District has received a reduction for the maximum annual yield determination for water use from the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer. This reduction in yield for water use coupled with the increased water demand in the area has resulted in a need to create sustainability and certainty for the towns of Sulphur and Dougherty as well as Murray County and Buckhorn Rural Water Districts. Proceeds will be used to address these concerns by replacing four existing pump stations and the installation of a new re-regulating reservoir pump station and new pipeline to Sulphur's water treatment plant.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $8,052,900 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 with the 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 Legislators from the surrounding area for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
"The Arbuckle Master Conservancy District is expecting increasing water use demands to provide adequate water allocation to the City of Sulphur," Speaker Charles McCall said. "To meet these demands, this project will provide a new re-regulating reservoir pump station, install a new pipeline to the proposed City of Sulphur water treatment plant and provide for all other necessary materials to complete the project. Thanks to a Chickasaw Tribal Matching Grant, and state provided American Rescue Plan Act dollars, this project will be completed and provide an immediate benefit to the citizens depending on the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer."
####
Contact:
Joe Freeman
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
(405) 530-8800
Joe.Freeman@owrb.ok.gov
