The Broken Arrow Municipal Authority received approval for a $16,285,000 loan Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s wastewater infrastructure.
Improvements to the wastewater system will be financed by the Oklahoma Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).
The Authority will utilize the proceeds to complete planning and design for the Haikey Creek wastewater treatment plant, the Expressway lift station, and force main improvements.
Additionally, funds will be used to rehabilitate the Lynn Lane east clarifier and disinfection system, demolishing the south park lift station, install approximately 2000 feet of wastewater collection line, for rehabilitation of the Adams Creek Basin, and continue construction of the Haikey Creek trunk sewer by performing a slip line rehabilitation of about three quarters of a mile of sewer line.
These upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant will reduce operating costs and mitigate effluent from the facility into the Arkansas River.
Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $2,249,600 over the life of the 30-year loan compared to traditional financing.
The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, and sanitation systems and a one cent sales tax. Broken Arrow’s Finance Director, Cindy Arnold, stated, “Thank you for the consideration of Broken Arrow’s loan request and we appreciate everything OWRB’s Board does as we continue to grow.”
The CWSRF program is administered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board with partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The CWSRF program has provided approximately $2.0 billion in water quality 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 $5.3 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.
“We are grateful to State legislators from the Broken Arrow metro area for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of the OWRB.
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