Sale of bonds to help fund rehabilitation of four state dams

The dam that impounds the water of the lake at Perry is among those that will be rehabilitated by contractors working for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to extend its usable life.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma has sold about $5.1 million in bonds which will be combined with previously designated federal and state funds to strengthen four high-hazard dams.

The Oklahoman reports that a recent sale on behalf of the state’s Conservation Commission will benefit the four dams which protect residents in Perry, Meeker, Wilburton and Elk City.

The commission’s executive director, Trey Lam, says the dams also provide water for the communities.

Officials say the state’s dams, which were built between 1968 and 1990, are currently safe. The rehabilitation will extend the dams’ lives 50 years.

Updating the dams will cost more than $41 million, with about 65 percent of that funded by the federal government. The state legislature previously dedicated $4 million to renovate the dams but needed more money to close the funding gap.