Emergency meeting called

The extremely cold temperatures have once again caused issues and major leaks in the City of Beggs, causing headaches not only for residents without water, but for city workers and officials as they seek to remedy the situation.

For some citizens, it has been over a week with some as many as 10 days – without water.

Numerous leaks arose around the city, with workers working tirelessly and attempting to make repairs to provide service.

In addition to the leaks, the lack of water pressure leaves the city unable to fill the water tower.

To meet needs of the community, a water buffalo was provided through local emergency agencies to help citizens. Some businesses stepped up to provide bottled water to resi- dents.

With citizens airing their complaints, and seeking answers and updates, a special emergency city council meeting was held yesterday evening to discuss the water situation, the source of the problems, and the possible short and long-term solutions.

The failing water infrastructure has plagued the city for numerous years, but steps have been taken recently to obtain funding, and improve the system which was neglected for many years.

In June 2023, the City of Beggs (City) received approval for $1,000,000 in funding from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the City’s infrastructure.

Improvements to the dam will be financed by the Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program along with a $100,000 Rural Infrastructure Grant (RIG) from Oklahoma Rural Water Association and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

In Nov. 2023, representatives from various agencies met in Tulsa to sign Memorandum of Understandings for various improvement projects. The Indian Health Service and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, along with an additional contribution from the Muscogee Nation will help fund the projects. The infrastructure funds were tripled for a total of $20,600,000. The City of Beggs is slated to receive a portion of the funds for water infrastructure repairs. There are 10 projects in nine communities that are set for get upgrades.

See Friday’s edition of the Times for more information about the emergency meeting.