Press Release

OKLAHOMA CITY –The Waurika Lake Master Conservancy District (District) received approval for $18,564,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the District’s water infrastructure.  Construction of upgrades and improvements to the system will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program.

The District supplies raw water to Comanche, Duncan, Lawton, Temple, Walters, and Waurika. The District has approximately 72 miles of aged raw water line, 3 (three) pumphouses, 6 (six) meter facilities, and 16 pumps and controls. The intake structure at Waurika Lake has 8 (eight) turbine pumps which are required to operate at full capcity with at least one redundant pump at all times. The proposed project will install Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) to improve incoming power supply, replace two pumps at the intake structure, upgrade existing motors, and install new power poles, transformers, substations, telemetry, and controls.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the District’s customers will save an estimated $28,040,000 compared to traditional financing.