Press Release

OKLAHOMA CITY – The West Siloam Springs Municipal Authority (Authority) in Delaware County received approval for a $44,158 Emergency Grant Tuesday through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s water infrastructure.

In the early Spring of 2024, an inspection was conducted on the Authority's elevated water storage tank. It was discovered that the primary isolation valve used to drain the water storage tank was compromised due to lower than average winter temperatures and repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The grant funds will be used to replace the primary isolation valve before a catastrophic failure occurs. The estimated cost of the project is $51,950 which will be funded with the Emergency Grant of  $44,157.50 and the 15% match of  $7,792.50.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the grant will save the Authority’s customers $76,400 in principal and interest charges by not having to borrow the project funds. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $7.1 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.