Hughes County Rural Water District #6

PROJECT PURPOSE

HCRWD #6 is in need of rehabilitating one of our existing water storage standpipes, We have secured a REAP GRANT from OWRB in the amount of $92,000, as well as a grant from Choctaw Nation for $34,000, leaving the district to fund approximately $97,000. The freezing weather in February, created a significant financial burden with repairs costing close to $200,000. This event desimated our financial reserves. Even though there was a disaster declaration, FEMA refused to assist us. This project was planned and started long before the disaster, and yet the district simply doesn't have adequate reserves to fund the project. Therefore we are requesting The $97,000 in assistance from ARPA funds. We have been trying to get assistance from Hughes County with no progress. The Water storage tank is vital to HCRWD #6. We cannot stay in compliance with DEQ or EPA requirements, should this project fail. The impact of such a situation would greatly diminish the ability of local fire departments, as well as the quality of service to our customers and a Subsequent Water system we provide water too.

EVIDENCE

The tank has not been painted or cleaned since 1992 when it was originally constructed. The project has been scheduled for over 4 years to get it completed, to which we had managed to have funds in reserve to complete, until the emergency repairs of February's disaster. we have the written reports and inspections from DEQ stating the tank needs rehabilitation. HCRWD #6 takes it's responsibility to provide excellent quality and quantity of potable water to the citizens of southern Hughes County. In February 2021, the district received a proclamation from Governor Stitt in recognition of our efforts to be sustainable, having been evaluated and reviewed by many state Agencies which recommended such recognition. This project should stand as an example of funds put to good use for decades to come, being part of a system that provides the invaluable resource of good potable water.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Being in rural Oklahoma, the impact of the pandemic is disproportional in many ways. The cost share per customer is a significant impact, the access to good potable water being limited, The geographic nature of living in rural areas means we have to travel further for comparable resources or pay additional costs to have them delivered. Much of our demographic is the vulnerable population, senior citizens, farmers and ranchers, who without a good water supply simply could not live on lands occupied by generations of family. The communities we serve have bore a brunt of the pandemic, in many ways, travel time and availability to healthcare, lack of access to resources, rising cost of goods and services, as well as loss of employment opportunities.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

This is a simple project, we intend to rehabilitate a 100,000 gallon standpipe for water storage. this includes, sandblasting and painting the interior and exterior of the tank, repairing any pitting or damage to the walls of the tank, as well as bringing the structure in to compliance with all other construction standards and mandates. We will install a drain hydrant in the outflow line of the tank, for additional Fire protection and sanitization purposes.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma