Federal grant gives a boost to Atoka’s water system – KTEN [Video]

ATOKA, Okla. (KTEN) — The City of Atoka is another step closer to water infrastructure improvements thanks to a $4 million grant approved by the US Department of Agriculture.

City staff gathered in downtown Atoka on Thursday morning for a check presentation from the USDA. The money will be allocated to upgrade equipment at the water treatment plant and for rehabilitation of water towers and valves.

“Without these funds, it would be very difficult to achieve that and keep our rates at a reasonable rate for our citizens,” said Mayor Brian Cathey. “Going forward, there’s always going to be long-term maintenance that has to be done on these infrastructure components for our city.”

Under the Biden administration, more than $2.8 billion has been invested in rural towns and cities across the nation.

“Since the start of the Biden Administration there’s been over 2.8 billion dollars that has been invested to …