The Duncan Public Utilities Authority receives $4,800,000 wastewater system loan from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY –The Duncan Public Utilities Authority (Authority) received approval for a $4,800,000 loan Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s wastewater infrastructure.  Construction of upgrades and improvements to the wastewater system will be financed by the Oklahoma Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).

The Authority will use the proceeds for wastewater treatment plant improvements to include a new chlorination-dechlorination system, a new chemical building, and for repair or replacement of manholes and sewer lines. These improvements will address inflow and infiltration into the sewer collection system thereby reducing unintended flows to the wastewater treatment facility and preventing unpermitted discharges from wet weather.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,969,800 over the life of the 30-year loan compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, sanitation, and electrical systems. Public Works Director, Buddy Hokit, shared, “We appreciate the relationship with OWRB for the last several years and look forward to another great project.”

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 $2.6 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 $7.3 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Senator Chris Kidd, State Senator Jessica Garvin, and State Representative Marcus McEntire for their 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