OWRB awards $2 million grant to Bartlesville for wastewater plant upgrade

Andy Dossett, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
·2 min read

The planned expansion of the Chickasaw Wastewater Treatment Plant just became a little bit cheaper with the injection of funds from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

To help pay for the $65 million expansion, the City of Bartlesville was awarded a $2 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act, administered by OWRB. Although it seems like a drop in the bucket, it does offer some savings.

The expansion of the Chickasaw Wastewater Treatment Plant, situated by the Caney River in downtown Bartlesville, is set to complete in 2028.
The expansion of the Chickasaw Wastewater Treatment Plant, situated by the Caney River in downtown Bartlesville, is set to complete in 2028.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB's Financial Assistance Division, noted that the grant will save customers over $3 million compared to traditional financing methods.

This expansion, mandated by the Oklahoma Department of Environment Quality, aims to increase the wastewater treatment plant's daily capacity from 7 million to 8.2 million gallons and implement water reuse technologies pending ODEQ permitting.

The rest of the project is likely to be financed through low-interest loans, repaid by the Wastewater Capital Fee included in the monthly bills of utility customers.

Initially, the grant was designated for construction, but due to the project not beginning until Dec 2026, another plan for the funds was made.

OWRB approved the grant funds to be redirected toward the project's $4.3 million engineering and pre-construction phase.

OWRB has supported water and wastewater infrastructure projects across Oklahoma with more than $7.1 billion in loans and grants since 1983.

Julie Cunningham, OWRB executive director, expressed gratitude toward State Sen. Julie Daniels, State Rep. Judd Strom, and State Rep. John Kane for their support.

"I am so glad that the Bartlesville Water Authority will soon see improvements to the Chickasaw Wastewater Treatment Plant," Strom said. "I want to thank the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for approving this two million dollar grant and I look forward to seeing this change take effect and further improve the services the Bartlesville Water Authority can offer its customers."

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville's wastewater plant expansion gets financial boost from OWRB