After more than a decade, Lexington-area residents will be able to get clean drinking water now that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has entered into a contract that will allow it to sell water to Cleveland County.
The Oklahoman reports that residents in a rural area east of Lexington have been dealing with contaminated water, which forced them to rely on filtration systems or to buy water in bulk or by the bottle.
The conservation department entered the contract with Cleveland County Rural Water District No. 1 on Tuesday. The department has property near the area.
The contract became possible after Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill last May, enabling the conservation department to enter leases for longer than 20 years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is loaning the water district money to develop three wells and requires a 40-year lease.