Krebs utilities board votes to deny water connection for proposed 12-house development

The Krebs Utilities Authority board voted to deny a developer’s request to connect a proposed 25-acre subdivision at NE Creek and Krebs Lake Road to the city’s water system. The motion to disapprove the connection was moved by Larry Coxsey and seconded by Jeanetta Hauck; board members Dan Heathcock, Sherry DeFrange, Hauck and Coxsey voted yes, and the motion passed.

Proponent Alan Martin told the board he was not seeking an immediate annexation but asked Krebs to agree to sell water if the project received engineering approval from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). "I am not asking for a hard yes, I am asking for the same thing the city of McAlester did," Martin said, and said the development would include 12 single-family homes, each about 1,900–2,200 square feet and on lots of more than an acre with aerobic drip systems.

Board members and staff raised technical and safety concerns during the discussion. Larry Coxsey cited the apparent presence of only a four-inch line in the area and said that even extending to a six-inch line would require hydraulic study to confirm adequate pressure. Coxsey also noted that the development would likely require six-inch mains throughout and fire hydrants at 400–500 foot intervals, which the board indicated it could not guarantee without further engineering and system upgrades. The board recorded the motion to disapprove on the record during the meeting.

The developer’s request reached the board after Planning & Zoning Chairman Mark Moy urged long-term infrastructure planning, including water and sewer expansion and consideration of annexation for future growth. The board’s decision was procedural: the disapproval prevents the proposed out-of-city connection as presented; any future proposal would need to address hydraulic capacity, main sizes, hydrant spacing and obtain any required DEQ approvals.