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Owasso Asks Legislature for $15 million to Replace Failing Nitrification Towers
Summary
Owasso leaders and business and community advocates urged the subcommittee for $15 million to replace three aging nitrification towers at the Mid‑County wastewater treatment center, warning of rate spikes and environmental risk if towers fail.
Owasso officials and local business and environmental leaders told the House Appropriations Subcommittee that three nitrification towers at the Mid‑County wastewater treatment center are failing and the city seeks $15,000,000 in state assistance to replace them.
"This is the most significant portion that could fail at any time and cause an environmental catastrophe to the Shiawassee River," Justin Horvath, president and CEO of the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, said to the committee. He described potential consequences for public health, the river ecosystem and regional economic activity.
Presenters said the towers remove ammonia and nitrogen compounds before discharge and that replacement is urgent because the towers are about 40 years old. Tom Cook, executive director of the Cook Family Foundation and a founder of Friends of the Shiawassee River, said tower failure could lead to untreated or partially treated wastewater entering the river and downstream waters.
Shelly Akenekie, an Owasso small business owner and school board member, described local economic impacts and warned that owners and residents face a projected 108% increase in water bills over five years without state assistance. She said the increase could imperil small businesses, school and municipal budgets and residents on fixed incomes.
Committee members were told the city has sought loans from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and pursued other financing, but existing resources are insufficient to cover the cost of the nitrification‑tower replacement. Horvath and Cook framed the request as protecting both local employment and environmental quality; Cook cited recreational and park areas directly downstream of the treatment plant.
Presenters said the $15,000,000 amount being requested for the towers is part of a larger overall project estimated at $207,000,000; they argued that state help on this component would reduce immediate rate impacts on users and avoid a potential environmental emergency.
No formal vote was recorded. The panel discussed the technical role of nitrification towers, prior financing steps the city has taken and potential state partnership options.
