Press Release

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust (Trust) received approval for $2,225,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB).

The Trust will utilize the proceeds for the development oftheir water system’s lead service line inventory and mapping of the lead service lines. Lead service line inventories are a requirement by the revised EPA Lead and Copper Rule, passed in December 2021, to meet public health goals for drinking water systems. Deadline to submit those inventories is October 16, 2024, to the Department of Environmental Quality.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $734,250 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Lead Service Line Replacement Program. The DWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Trust’s water, sewer, and sanitation systems. General Manager of the Trust, Chris Browning, Business Manager, Vanessa Aguilar, and Jiffie John Samuel, Financial Operations Manager, attended the OWRB’s monthly meeting in support of the loan application. Mr. Browning stated, “We recognize that lead lines are a top priority across the nation. These funds will be used for a pilot project to verify the Trust’s assumption of piping material used on both sides of meters in approximately 2,700 locations. The target for inventory completion is set for 2024.”