Lawmakers Announce $100,000 REAP Grant for Bromide Public Works Authority
March 9th, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – A significant grant has been awarded to the Bromide Public Works Authority, enabling critical infrastructure improvements, according to Sen. Jay Paul Gumm and Rep. Paul Roan.
The lawmakers announced the grant, which was awarded to Bromide during the March 9th meeting of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB). The funding for the $99,999 award is a Rural Economic Action Program (REAP) grant and will be used to pay for rehabilitation of the community’s wastewater collection system.
“REAP funding is vital to rural communities like Bromide,” said Gumm, a Democrat who represents both Johnston and Coal counties. “Infrastructure projects are important for both economic development and quality of life issues. REAP helps ensure small rural communities will continue to be a vital part of Oklahoma’s future. This award is huge for Bromide’s future and residents’ quality of life.”
According to state records, Bromide has been under a consent order from the Department of Environmental Quality for excessive inflow and infiltration into its sanitary sewer collection system. The funding approved today will pay for the required improvements.
Roan noted that without the funding, it would have been difficult for Bromide to meet the needs of its residents and the requirements of the consent order.
“While this is a relatively small amount money compared to a state’s budget, this grant is a major infusion of dollars into a community like Bromide,” said Roan, who also represents Johnston and Coal counties. “We appreciate OWRB taking this action after listening to our concerns and those of the Bromide Public Works Authority. It is a step that will help move Bromide forward.”
The REAP program created by the 1996 Legislature targeting water and wastewater improvements for Oklahoma’s small communities, many of which were often excluded from traditional funding programs. The Bromide project will consist of replacing approximately 1,000 feet of sewer line, associated manholes and all other related construction.