OKLAHOMA CITY – The Checotah Public Works Authority (Authority) received approval for $881,650 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure. Construction of upgrades and improvements to the water system will be financed by the Oklahoma Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) along with an OWRB ARPA Grant of $1,000,000 with matching funds from the Muscogee Creek Nation ARPA Grant, and $615,000 from an Indian Health Service Grant.

The Checotah Public Works Authority is undertaking a vital project to improve water quality and meet state regulatory standards at its Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The project includes the construction of a new 500,000-gallon clearwell and the installation of a mixing system in the existing 1,000,000-gallon clearwell. These upgrades will enhance the plant’s ability to meet Giardia and virus inactivation requirements while reducing disinfection byproducts. This project will ensure safer drinking water for local residents and businesses.

Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,120,450 compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the Authority’s revenues.

Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB, and Rob Singletary, Executive Director of the ODEQ, express their sincere appreciation to State Senator Roger Thompson and State Representative Neil Hays for their support of the DWSRF program.

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 $2.4 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 $7.6 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.