Thanks to a big loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the city of Lexington will finally soon have clean drinking water.
Rep. Bobby Cleveland announced this week the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has entered into a contract to sell drinking water to Cleveland County Rural Water district Number one. It will bring an end to nearly 10 years of Lexington residents fighting contaminated water, forcing them to buy water in bulk or by the bottle.
The contract is possible after Gov. Mary Fallin signed House Bill 1116 into last in May. The law grants an exemption enabling the Wildlife Department to enter into leases longer than 20 years. At the same time, the USDA issued a loan to the rural water district to develop three wells.
Lexington city leaders had spent years trying to obtain water from the State Corrections Department which operates the Lexington Assessment and Diagnostic Center near the city. But legal steps could never be overcome.