The Noble Utilities Authority Receives $2,995,000 Loan for Water and Wastewater System Improvements from the OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Noble Utilities Authority (Authority) received approval for a $2,995,000 Financial Assistance Program (FAP) loan on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve their  water and wastewater infrastructure.

The Authority operates a wastewater collection system that is under increasing demand due to recent residential growth. To accommodate this expansion, the city will replace an existing 12-inch sanitary sewer line with approximately 3,900 linear feet of 24-inch and 21-inch line, including necessary highway and railroad bores. The upgraded line is designed to handle peak flows without exceeding the treatment plant’s capacity of 750,000 gallons per day. This project will help ensure reliable service, protect public health, and support continued development in the community.

The estimated cost of the project including engineering, construction and to establish a debt service reserve is $2,726,605.00 which will be funded by an FAP loan not to exceed $2,995,000.00. 

According to Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, the Authority’s  customers will save an estimated $35,800 compared to traditional financing. The loan shall be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s  water and sewer services, and a two-cents sales tax.

Local officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included City Manager Robert Porton and Vice Chair Forrest Mitchell. “On behalf of Noble, I just want to appreciate the opportunity, started Porton. “These lines were perfectly sized in the early 1980s, they are no longer, and our population estimates have some taking us up to 15,000 residents in the next 20 years, so we are preparing for that. We appreciate the opportunity.”

“We are grateful to State Senators Mary Boren and Lisa Standridge and State Representative Jonathan Wilk for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.

Since 1983, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board has approved over $8.2 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.