Kingfisher Public Works Authority received approval last week for a $5 million Financial Assistance Program (FAP) loan.

That announcement was made in a press release by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board after the board approved the loan last Tuesday.

Kingfisher’s city commission moved last December to attempt to secure the loan as it embarks on a capital improvement plan to upgrade the city’s infrastructure.

This loan, according to the OWRB, is for water and wastewater infrastructure.

KPWA operates the city’s water and wastewater systems, which serve more than 2,600 water connections and 2,200 sewer connections.

Several key components of the system need upgrades, including a nonfunctional screening unit at the main wastewater lift station and water wells that require improvements to meet Safe Drinking Water Act disinfection byproduct standards.

City Manager Jim Thomas said, overall, there are about $19 million in upgrades needed for the city’s sewer and water over the next 10 years.

“This is just phase 1,” he said.

To strengthen system reliability and restore compliance, the KPWA plans to build a new mechanical headworks facility and lift station, install updated control and monitoring equipment at its well fields and develop a hydraulic model to better understand and plan for water system needs.

Parkhill, one of the city’s engineering firms, was set to discuss a $2.5 million headworks project with city commissioners at a meeting on Wednesday.

The project also includes system-wide inspections of sewer lines and manholes using tools such as CCTV cameras and smoke testing to identify areas needing repair.

According to Lori Johnson, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, KPWA’s customers will save an estimated $1,256,600 with this loan compared to traditional financing.

The loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the KPWA’s water, sewer and electric services.

Thomas and Mayor Geoff Covalt attended last Tuesday’s OWRB meeting in support of the loan application.

“We do need these monies and appreciate your consideration,” Thomas told the OWRB. “Kingfisher has had some deferred maintenance and we are beginning to improve it with our capital improvement plan, so we appreciate your consideration.”

“This $5 million invest-ment is a major step forward in strengthening local water and wastewater infrastructure,” Senator Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, told the OWRB. “The collaborative effort between the Kingfisher Public Works Authority and OWRB to modernize these critical facilities will ensure a more reliable, effi cient, and resilient utility network that will serve our growing community for decades to come.”

“Assuring clean drinking water for the residents of Kingfisher is of extreme importance,” said Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, to the OWRB. “I’m grateful to the OWRB for the release of funding to get these water wells and the associated distribution systems back to working order.”

“We are grateful to State Senators Chuck Hall and Darcy Jech and State Representative Mike Dobrinski for their support of our financial assistance programs,” said Julie Cunningham, executive director of the OWRB.