U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing more than $11.9 million to replace water and sewer systems in Red Oak and Wright City.
Funding for these projects were made available through USDA Rural Developments Water and Wastewater Grants Native American Set Aside Grant allocation. This investment will allow the two works authorities to bring their water infrastructure up to today’s standards and provide the communities of Red Oak and Wright City with safe and reliable water.
“Access to safe and reliable drinking water in rural communities has become a more urgent issue that President Biden and USDA are actively working to restore because of years of neglect small towns and Tribal communities have had to endure to maintain these aging water systems,” Corn said. “Investing in our neglected rural and Tribal communities not only provides these communities with much needed infrastructure investment, but it also creates an economic ripple everyone in Oklahoma benefits from.”
The Red Oak and Wright City Public Works Authority will use the grant funds to meet Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality standards to ensure their public water system meets the necessary health and sanitary standards. The set aside authority for a 100 percent was met by meeting population, income, and unemployment standards for a community with Native Americans.
“Oklahoma is home to incredible small-town communities, but at the very core of these communities’ ability to survive for future generations is the need to invest in our infrastructure systems,” Corn said. “This is why I am grateful that President Biden believes all Americans regardless of their zip code deserve the opportunity for prosperity and a quality way of life. With the investments President Biden is making and the strong support from our Tribal governments across Oklahoma like the Choctaw Nation – we are making it a reality for future generations of Oklahomans in Red Oak and Wright City to thrive.”
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/ok.