Grants will help Lawton build sludge-handling facility

The money has been awarded. Now, it’s up to the City of Lawton to formally apply for it.

Members of the Lawton Water Authority (a function of the City Council) authorized city staff this week to proceed with the documentation that awards Lawton $5.125 million in federal grants, funding that will help offset the cost of building a new sludge-handling facility for the southeast water treatment plant.

Public Utilities Director Rusty Whisenhunt said Lawton already had been pre-selected for those grants, courtesy of earmarks achieved by Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, and it is time to sign the documents that will formally give the money to Lawton. The funds were awarded over two federal fiscal years: $4 million in 2023 and $1.125 million in 2024. While the total is $5.125 million, it is not the full amount sought. Lawton asked for $6 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and $5 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2024, he said.

The funding will be blended with $2 million already designed to Lawton from state-designated American Rescue Plan Act grants, providing $7.125 million for what has been estimated as a $16 million project. Whisenhunt said while city staff continues to search for other grants, the balance of that cost can be funded from Lawton’s loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

The sludge-handling facility is designed to stop sludge from being transferred from the water treatment plant southeast of Lawton, overwhelming the nearby wastewater treatment plant, Whisenhunt said.