The City of Lawton has secured a hefty grant totaling $5.125 million, designated for a vital upgrade at the Southeast Water Treatment Plant. This financial infusion comes from two EPA Federal Communities Grants and is earmarked to help fund the construction of a new residuals dewatering process, indispensable for managing waste generated during water treatment, as reported by Caitlin Gatlin, Communications & Marketing Manager for the City of Lawton.
Currently, the Southeast Water Treatment Plant, which processes an average of four million gallons of water daily, has to transport its sludge, or residuals, to the Lawton Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing, this plant itself a stalwart of over 50 years and the beneficiary of a $84 million renovation across the last couple years with Phase 1 of the Wastewater Treatment Plant's updates on the brink of completion, its final walkthrough scheduled for sometime this week. This financial commitment includes a $2 million state ARPA grant, and will cover a portion of the $17 million total project costs with the city now actively seeking construction bids to commence the endeavor, as reported by the City of Lawton.
The project will install special equipment at the Southeast Water Treatment Plant to treat leftover materials from cleaning and filtering drinking water. This new system uses a different technology than what's used at the Wastewater Treatment Plant because it’s made specifically for drinking water byproducts. Treating these materials on-site will reduce the burden on the Wastewater Treatment Plant, improve overall efficiency, and help both plants prepare for future water needs, as per the City of Lawton.
“This investment strengthens our City’s infrastructure and secures a dependable water supply for our community,” Rusty Whisenhunt, Director of Public Utilities explained that the upgrades will make Lawton's water and wastewater systems more sustainable over the long term, as stated by the City of Lawton. These improvements are part of a larger plan to meet the needs of the city’s growing population. Reliable water systems are essential because clean water is vital to the health and well-being of the community.
