FROM THE OCWUT GENERAL MANAGER

From mealtime to bath time, for every load of laundry washed and every dish cleaned, residents and businesses in Central Oklahoma rely on us to keep their water running, wastewater collected, and
to keep their neighborhoods free from litter and debris.

Few organizations are tasked with the kind of responsibilities assumed by utilities, where the services we provide support the health and well-being of our customers and the environment, the safety of our community, and the economic prosperity of the region.

Our motto is clear: 100% Accountability — Zero Excuses. This fundamental principle is practiced
throughout every facet of our utility. Whether it involves ensuring the safe and reliable treatment
and distribution of drinking water to over 1.4 million people in Central Oklahoma, safeguarding
our environment through the collection and responsible discharge of treated wastewater, or efficiently managing the collection of trash, recycling, and bulky waste from over 220,000 customers each month, our commitment to this principle remains unwavering.

Our utility consists of more than 800 employees who work to ensure our valued customers are
provided services 24/7. Continually, the results of Oklahoma City’s resident satisfaction survey
reflect a level of service consistency and quality far above like services offered in similar-sized
cities across the U.S. We appreciate the support of our dependable contractors, such as Inframark
and Waste Management, and we want to thank our many suppliers, service providers, and
engineering and construction firms that work alongside us day in and day out.

Earlier this year, we polled our employees about their experiences in our organization, and one
resounding theme stood out; our employees take immense pride in knowing their efforts contribute
to the prosperity of our community and the customers they serve. That’s why we strive to not only continuously improve the services we provide today, but seek new technologies, processes, and programs to ensure the longevity of our utility well into the future.

IT STARTS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE
Communities depend upon clean water to thrive. We cannot live up to our promise of delivering
clean water into the future without ensuring a reliable and resilient infrastructure today.
To meet future needs, we are investing $1.79 billion in capital improvements over the next
five years to enhance the efficiency of our water and wastewater treatment plants along with the
7,000-plus miles of water and wastewater pipes we maintain. This past year alone, we invested
more than $460 million in treatment plant and system improvements, including contracting for
three additional sections of the 72”, 100-mile second Atoka Pipeline.

FINANCIAL STABILITY
Strong financial management is the mainsail of our organization. Our long-term and shortterm
debt strategies remain stable, even amid significant pricing increases in our treatment chemicals, infrastructure materials, vehicle and equipment costs, and supplies. Further, we proudly continue to hold the distinction of maintaining AAA and Aaa bond ratings accorded to us by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Services, respectively.

These distinctions position us within the top 7% and 5% of water and wastewater utilities nationwide as rated by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, affirming our adherence to prudent financial practices that reinforce our financial stability and reliability in the industry.

DRIVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Working smarter is key to our success. This year, we began implementation of a multi-year project to upgrade our meter reading process through the introduction of Automated Meter Reading technology. This transition will improve billing efficiency and accuracy and enhance worker safety. We also
launched a new online permitting system for our Wastewater Commercial Pretreatment Program that allows customers to self-renew and manage their permit accounts online.

Finally, we stood up a new enterprise asset management system, enabling us to evaluate, monitor, and maintain critical assets and equipment throughout their entire operational lifecycle.

INVESTING IN OUR EMPLOYEES
While service to our customers is what drives us forward, it is the dedication of our employees that makes that service happen. We invest in their success through ongoing licensure and education programs, including our Utilities University and Lean Process training. This year, we worked to expand
our mobile workforce development, and recently we have initiated a new employee engagement program resulting in ongoing improvement for internal communications and recognition.

In FY 2023, we not only maintained, but continued to improve upon our culture of workplace safety. As a result, we had one of our best years on record. Evidenced by our end-of-year safety report, we achieved
a remarkable 20% reduction in injuries compared to the preceding fiscal year. Thanks to our efforts in employee development and judicious financial stewardship, our utility standards are lauded as best-in-class by the Oklahoma Quality Foundation, an alliance partner of the esteemed Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award. We have undertaken the process of applying for the award to help us analyze and better understand all aspects of our utility with an emphasis on continuous improvement and innovation.

These initiatives, along with our ongoing long-range planning for system resiliency and
reliability, are part of a commitment we make to deliver on our promise of accountability and
exceptional service to our customers and the communities who rely upon us each and every
day. It’s a job we take seriously, and one for which we are immensely proud.

Chris Browning
General Manager, Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust