Marietta Public Works Authority receives $5,750,000 water system funding from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Marietta Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for $5,750,000 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 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) where $800,000 of the loan will be in the form of loan forgiveness.

The Authority will utilize the proceeds for construction of a new 300,000-gallon elevated water storage tank, to refurbish an existing tank, lay approximately 6,200 linear feet of ten (10) inch PVC water line, and for a new water well with a chlorination feed system. This project will improve water pressure for the customers and businesses within the Authority.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $3,227,800 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 and sewer systems and a mortgage.   The Authority’s Water Superintendent, Layton Shurbet, stated, “Thank you for the opportunity to be here and your help to small systems like ours. We service 1,250 customers and appreciate the funding for improvement.”

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 $2.2 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 $7.3 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 Chris Kidd and State Representative Josh Cantrell for their support of the DWSRF program.

####

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