Water Infrastructure
Tribes, Alaska Villages to Gain $278M for Water Infrastructure
Bellingham Bay is near the Lummi Nation reservation and Lummi Island, Wash.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to invest $278 million in water infrastructure projects for American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages, EPA announced June 28.
The investments—drawn almost entirely from already appropriated funds—will support a variety of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects, those to identify and treat emerging contaminants such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and to replace lead service lines.
The funding is the largest single investment in water infrastructure projects for Tribes and Alaska Native villages in U.S. history, EPA officials said. They attributed the boost largely to additional funding authorized or allocated by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
“For too long, tribes have struggled without access to basic water services—impacting their health and economic well-being,” said Assistant EPA Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, at the event in Bellingham, Wash., also attended by the Lummi Nation.
The largest portion of the funding—$130.3 million—will come from fiscal 2023 drinking water infrastructure grants through IIJA and annual appropriations funds. A total of $64 million from law and appropriations will fund wastewater treatment projects, and $38.6 million will be allocated for emerging contaminants through the small or disadvantaged communities tribal grant program.
The Alaska Rural and Native Villages grant program will receive $39.6 million in fiscal 2023 through annual appropriation funds that can be used for high-priority drinking water and wastewater facilities, as well as for training, technical assistance and educational programs to support sustainable water systems.
Lummi Vice Chairman Terrence Adams said funding will help tribes that are seeking assistance across the U.S. “Tribal people have an important relationship with the water, and we believe that it is our inherent responsibility to take care of the water as it cares for us,” he said.
