Checotah Public Works Authority receives $1,600,000 grant for water system improvements
OKLAHOMA CITY –The Checotah Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for $1,600,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure. The first request was for $1,000,000 financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program along with Muscogee Creek Nation Tribal funds of $1,000,000 and Indian Health Services funds of $640,000. A second request was for $600,000 financed by the ARPA grant program along with Muscogee Creek Nation Tribal funds of $600,000, and Indian Health Services funds of $303,000.
The Authority owns and operates a public water supply system. The proceeds from the first request will be utilized to install mixing surface aeration and forced air ventilation in the existing clearwell and construct a new 500,000-gallon clearwell upstream of the current one for system redundancy. The proceeds from the second request will be used to replace aging waterlines with six-inch and eight-inch PVC pipe in the southeast portion of the system.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $2,590,600 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 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 Senator Roger Thompson and State Representative Neil Hays 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
