The Walters Public Works Authority Receives $1,240,000 Loan for Water System Improvements from the OWRB

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Walters Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for a $1,240,000 Financial Assistance Program (FAP) loan on Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve their  water infrastructure.

The Authority operates a municipal water system that serves the City of Walters and surrounding areas, providing drinking water through a network of distribution lines and customer meters. The system’s existing meters are outdated, no longer reliably track water usage, and are incompatible with modern data-collection technology, leading to billing inaccuracies and reduced system efficiency. To address these issues, the proposed project will replace aging meters with new automated meter reading (AMR) units and install an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, which transmits real-time data to improve accuracy and operations. These upgrades will strengthen leak detection, reduce water loss, and enhance overall service reliability for customers.

According to Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $217,600 compared to traditional financing. The loan shall be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s  water, sewer, sanitation, and electric services, and a 3 cent sales tax.

Local officials attending the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application included Walters’ City Manager Matt LaFee. “I really thank you so much for your consideration of this,” said LaFee. “It really is so important for our city, and we are really grateful for this program.”

“We are grateful to State Senator Spencer Kern and State Representative Trey Caldwell 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 $8.3 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.