Tulsa's Port of Catoosa Facilities Authority receives $15,000,000 wastewater system loan from OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Tulsa's Port of Catoosa Facilities Authority (Authority) received approval for a $15,000,000 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 Town of Inola owns and operates a wastewater treatment system (WWTS) consisting of collection lines, appurtenances, and an aerated lagoon wastewater treatment facility.  The Authority will utilize the proceeds to transition the Town's WWTS from a lagoon system to a WWTP located at the Port of Inola sized to accommodate all wastewater from the Town of Inola as well as from the Port of Inola Industrial Park operated by the Port Authority. The proposed project is to fund the engineering and design and build a new 3.1 MGD WWTP. The project will provide adequate treatment for the Town and the Port’s wastewater needs before being discharged into the Verdigris River to help ensure water quality standards are being met.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $4,056,800 over the life of the 30-year loan compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the Authority’s revenues and leases. Officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Andrew Ralston, Director of Economic Development. Andrew shared, “This is a unique venture and has been in the making for four years. There are a lot of public agencies involved in this project and the OWRB staff has definitely proven exemplary to work with.”

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 $7.1 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Legislators from the Tulsa area 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