New grant will help Lawton continue water, wastewater projects

OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawton has received another federal grant that will allow city officials to continue upgrades to water and wastewater components.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board announced Tuesday that the Lawton Water Authority (a function of the City Council) received approval for a $2 million grant under the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Those funds will be paired with $3 million in local funds to continue water and wastewater work, to include replacement of water and sewer lines in affected areas of the city to lessen leaks. Funds also will help build a dewatering facility at the wastewater plant, one of a series of upgrades planned for the facility in southeast Lawton.

Joe Freeman, chief of the financial assistance division of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, calculated water authority customers will save an estimated $3,097,400 by using the grant, compared to traditional financing.

The ARPA grant program is administered by the OWRB with funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and appropriated through the Water and Wastewater American Rescue Plan Act grants program. This OWRB program has been structured to provide communities and other eligible entities with the financial resources necessary to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs within their systems.

Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $7.3 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.