The Town of Muldrow received approval for $980,000 in funding Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the town’s water infrastructure. Construction of upgrades and improvements to the water system will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program.

The town owns and operates a water treatment plant in need of overflow pipe and filter repair. These proceeds will be used to install flow meters on four water filters, install 10 backwash pumps, two overflow pipes, a new telemetry system, an emergency generator with an automatic transfer switch, and 1,344 water meters.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the town’s customers will save an estimated $1,509,100 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 financial resources necessary to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs within their systems. Since 1983 the Water Resources Board has approved over $7.1 billion in loans and grants for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Oklahoma.

“We are grateful to State Senator Tom Woods, State Senator Warren Hamilton and State Representative Jim Olsen for their continued support of our financial assistance programs,” Julie Cunningham, Executive Director of OWRB said.