Cherokee Development Authority receives $467,500 wastewater system loan from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Cherokee Development Authority (Authority) received approval for a $467,500 loan Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s wastewater infrastructure. and the planning and design for improvements to the wastewater system will be financed by a 100% principal forgiveness loan through the Oklahoma Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

The Authority’s wastewater treatment facility is in need of improvement in order to meet updated permit limits. The proceeds will be used to evaluate new treatment options and the planning and design of the project. The proposed improvements would eliminate the effluent being discharged to Clay Creek.

Joe Freeman, Chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $595,000 compared to traditional financing.

“We are grateful to State Senator Roland Pederson and State Representative Carl Newton for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.

The CWSRF program is administered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The CWSRF program has provided approximately $2.7 billion in water quality 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 $7.4 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.