Governor Stitt issued a proclamation to Rural Water and Sewer District #4 Lincoln County for their commitment to sustainability in the water industry.
Rural Water and Sewer District #4 Lincoln County was presented with a proclamation from Governor Kevin Stitt on July 20, 2020 for compiling their long range sustainability plan and for implementing efforts to become more sustainable.
In 2019, Governor Kevin Stitt set forth a vision of an alliance agreement committing the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Rural Water Association, and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to work together to improve the sustainability of Oklahoma rural and small community water and wastewater systems. The Oklahoma Strategic Alliance was then created.
“The dedication of Rural Water and Sewer District #4 Lincoln County’s board and staff in their goal of becoming more sustainable is exemplary,” said Oklahoma Rural Water Association, Chief Operations Officer, J.R. Welch. “As part of the Strategic Alliance, ensuring each system’s sustainability is critical for the future of rural Oklahoma.”
As part of the long range sustainability plan, representatives from ORWA, ODEQ and OWRB performed various analyses of the system and worked to implement plans that therefore create a living document for the system. Among those analyses were a rate analysis, water audit, leak detection, a hydraulic analysis and an asset management study in order to help ensure the economic sustainability of the system.
“Governor Stitt has a goal of making Oklahoma a top ten state,” said Capacity Development Coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Brandon Bowman. “I believe in order to do that, the strength lies in rural Oklahoma.
“Our [Strategic Alliance partners] job is to support rural Oklahoma by supporting infrastructure,” he said. “Water systems are the lifeblood of rural Oklahoma and they drive rural prosperity and economic development.”
The Oklahoma Strategic Alliance is proud of the progress the Rural Water and Sewer District #4 Lincoln County has made as they work towards a more sustainable future.
“We expect to be here indefinitely,” said Rural Water and Sewer District #4 Lincoln County Board Chairman, Jerome Ewen. “It’s not like a business where it disappears in 40 or 100 years, we are going to need water forever.
“We want to make sure that we always deliver good quality water at a reasonable cost,” Ewen said.
Several local officials were in attendance to share their support of the accomplishments the water district has made including County Commissioners, Carl Munson and Zack Cavett. Also in attendance was Lynn Kinder of Payne County Bank and Phil Brown of Brown Engineering.
For more information on the Oklahoma Strategic Alliance or sustainability services visit orwa.org or email okalliance@orwa.org.
— Written by JD Rosman
For more information contact:
J.R. Welch
COO
405.672.8925
jrwelch@orwa.org
Randy Clark
Long Range Strategic Plan Project Manager
405.672.8925
rclark@orwa.org
The Oklahoma Strategic Alliance was formed in 2019. Governor Kevin Stitt set forth a vision of an agreement committing the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Rural Water Association, and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to work together to improve the sustainability of Oklahoma rural and small community water and wastewater systems. For more information on the Oklahoma Strategic Alliance contact okalliance@orwa.org
