The Enid Municipal Authority (Authority) received approval for $4,000,000 in funding Monday 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).
The Authority will utilize the proceeds to lay approximately 5,500 feet of 12-inch, 10-inch, and 6-inch PVC water line in an area of the city which has experienced low water pressure. These improvements will help to reduce water loss and increase water pressure for customers of the Authority.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $1,172,100 over the life of the 20-year loan compared to traditional financing. The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, and sanitation systems and a two cent sales tax. Enid’s Mayor, George C. Pankonin, shared, “Enid is grateful for the consideration of this loan which will allow the City to continue upgrading its water infrastructure.”
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 $1.8 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 $5.5 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 legislators from the Enid metro area for their support of the DWSRF program.
