Toward Tomorrow

Check out information on the Spring 2022 Municipal Election for the City of Norman regarding water infrastructure improvements.

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Spring Election to determine funding for Advanced Water Metering, Pipe Replacement & Groundwater Treatment

[See an update regarding the 2022 Spring Proposition, published 4/6/22, by clicking here.]

Further investment in community infrastructure by way of advanced water metering, pipe replacement and groundwater treatment are proposed to sustain progress, increase efficiencies and ensure reliability of service as Norman leads Toward Tomorrow.

An increase to the water rate of each household and business is considered for project funding and was approved to go to a vote of the people by Norman City Council in January 2022. The City of Norman has not seen a water rate increase since 2015, though costs for associated equipment and chemicals for service have continued to rise. The City of Norman Utilities Department has also operated with the same amount of staff since 2010 and intends to keep the current staff structure in place for the foreseeable future.

Norman's water billing structure consists of multiple tiers, with 73% of households using 5,000 gallons of water or less. Residents consuming 5,000 gallons or less would see an average increase of $3.93 per month.

View a full residential proposed rate chart by clicking here or access a residential rates calculator here.

View a full commercial proposed rate chart by clicking here.

Voter-approved water rate increases only affect those utilizing City of Norman water at a home or business.

PROPOSED PROJECTS & IMPROVEMENTS:

Passage of the Spring 2022 Proposition would provide funding for the following projects.

  • Advanced Water Metering, $15M: A system of meters, communication networks and software that wirelessly delivers water usage information and service alerts. Through this system, hourly water usage information would be available in near real-time to customers and the City, which would realize the following benefits:
    • Increase accuracy and timeliness of meter reading, eliminating the inconvenience and frustration caused by estimated water bills;
    • Decrease the demand for physical meter reading visits in order to resolve concerns;
    • Securely organize water consumption data to allow for advanced leak notification and improved water conservation;
    • Create greater efficiencies in local government to best serve citizens.
  • Groundwater Treatment/Disinfection, $17M: The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) now requires a chlorine residual throughout a blended water distribution system. The City of Norman manages 41 wells that supply water to residents and businesses.
    • By disinfecting and maintaining higher chlorine levels from the groundwater system, the safety of the water supply will improve and the City will come into compliance with DEQ mandates. 
  • Pipe Replacement, $1M: Replacing aging infrastructure will reduce service disruptions, as well as ensure quality water consistently makes its way to homes and businesses in Norman.
    • Norman has 600 miles of water line pipes and 300 miles of those are older, metal lines that continuously fail and should be replaced by PVC pipe as soon as possible.
    • Proposition funding would increase the number of projects and repairs that are carried out per year.
HELPFUL LINKS, MATERIALS AND INFORMATION:

 

 

Additional questions concerning the proposition can be relayed to PublicAffairs@normanok.gov or 405-366-5396. Additional questions regarding the voting process and voter registration can be relayed to the Cleveland County Election Board at 405-366-0210 or at https://www.clevelandcountyelectionboard.com/contact_us.