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The District will use these funds to replace approximately 300 feet of security fencing and perform standpipe rehabilitation which includes recoating and roof repair. The estimated cost of the project is $53,000.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the grant will save the District’s customers $72,000 in principal and interest charges by not having to borrow the project funds. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $5.09 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Senator Blake Stephens and State Representatives Bob Culver and David Hardin for their continued support of water and wastewater infrastructure funding in Oklahoma,” said Julie Cunningham, OWRB Executive Director.

The District will use the funds to lay 3,120 feet of new 6-inch water line to connect Cherokee County Rural Water District No. 9 to Cherokee County Distirct No. 11, install stand-by generators at the water treatment plant, and to construct a new 150,000 gallon water standpipe. These improvements will ensure pressure is maintained throughout the distribution system while reducing water loss. It will also allow Cherokee County Rural Water District No. 9 to discontinue use of its water treatment plant. These steps will result in treated water availability, and uninterrupted power for residents and businesses in and near the District.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $630,000 over the life of the 29.5 year loan compared to traditional financing. The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the District’s water system and a mortgage.

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 $1.7 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 $5.09 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 Kim David and State Representatives Bob Culver and Chris Sneed for their support of the DWSRF program.

The Authority will use the funds for planning and design of sewer system rehabilitation which will determine areas where inflow and infiltration are an issue. A reduction of these issues will help prevent unwanted contaminants from entering Copan Lake and the Little Caney River while reducing unintended flows to the wastewater treatment plant.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $158,955 over the life of the loan compared to traditional financing.

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 $1.8 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 $5.09 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Senator Julie Daniels and State Representative Judd Strom for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.

The Authority has a wastewater cell lagoon system that has experienced a breach from one cell into another which has resulted in additional erosion. In order to correct the situation, the Authority will temporarily divert flow from the damaged cell so it may be repaired. The estimated cost of the project is $49,711 which will be funded with the requested Emergency Grant funds as well $7,456 in local matching funds.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the grant will save the Authority’s customers $58,500 in principal and interest charges by not having to borrow the project funds. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $5.09 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

Mayor Jack Brown provided the following statement to the Board, “The Town of Haworth would like to thank you for the opportunity to apply for this emergency grant. These funds will allow us to fix the breach in our lagoons, thereby providing health and safety for our community.”

“We are grateful to State Senator George Burns and State Representative Eddy Dempsey for their continued support of water and wastewater infrastructure funding in Oklahoma,” said Julie Cunningham, OWRB Executive Director.

The Authority will use the funds to install a land application system in their wastewater treatment process. The estimated cost of the project is $79,999 which is the amount of the requested OWRB REAP grant.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the grant will save the Authority’s customers $112,000 in principal and interest charges by not having to borrow the project funds. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $5.09 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Senator Warren Hamilton and State Representative Randy Randleman for their continued support of water and wastewater infrastructure funding in Oklahoma,” said Julie Cunningham, OWRB Executive Director.

The District will use the funds for system improvements to address disinfection byproduct issues. Disinfecting drinking water has reduced waterborne disease drastically. However, byproducts which may result by the disinfection process can sometimes have unintended effects. Therefore, by addressing this issue, this project helps meet the public health goals for the state.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $123,800 over the life of the loan compared to traditional financing.

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 $1.7 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 $5.09 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 Roger Thompson and State Representatives Randy Randleman and David Smith for their support of the DWSRF program.

The purpose of the research is to determine the current groundwater availability for current and future groundwater use. The study will also provide a new groundwater flow model for both the Ogallala-Panhandle and Ogallala-Northwest aquifers in Oklahoma.

A critical part of this study is collecting water level measurements from a wide array of well sites located throughout area. OWRB scientists are seeking local water well owners that would allow agency staff to collect water-level measurements at their well site throughout March 2021.

OWRB staff welcomes landowners to observe the entire well sampling process which is very simple which takes less than ten minutes once the OWRB staff is at the well site location. After an instrument is lowered into the well that indicates when the probe has touched water, the test is concluded. The water measurement can be taken from most kinds of groundwater wells – domestic, irrigation, mining, or livestock wells.

To begin the process, participating well owners must first complete a permission form supplied by the OWRB. The form helps the agency collect information about the specific well, and more importantly, it gives the landowner an opportunity to outline special instructions for OWRB staff.

Those interested in assisting with this groundwater research are encouraged to contact Jacob Hernandez at 405-530-8928 or jacob.hernandez@owrb.ok.gov, or Jason Shiever at 405-833-7004.