SPI Insights

Oklahoma – The state’s water resources board awarded $129 million to the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust for water and wastewater system improvements on June 16.

The trust requested $74 million from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to replace a balancing tank along the Atoka pipeline and install emergency generators at several booster stations in the city.

To upgrade the Atoka pipeline and pumping system that is more than 50 years old, the trust plans to expand the system by 36 million gallons per day (MGD) to 111 MGD at an estimated cost of $560 million.

Improvements planned for 2021 include construction of a 66-inch pipeline parallel to the existing pipeline as well as the addition of a lake intake and pump station at Atoka Reservoir. Two new pump stations with storage balancing tanks would be built at the trust’s Stonewall and Konawa facilities. It also would modify the existing Draper outfall to accept a new line.

The water board also approved the trust for $55 million from the board’s Financial Assistance Program to refinance two bond series related to several water and sewer projects throughout Oklahoma City’s system.