(AGENPARL) - Roma, 22 Maggio 2024 - (AGENPARL) – mer 22 maggio 2024 Issued: May 22, 2024 (1:54pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $225 million to Improve Drinking Water
and Wastewater Infrastructure for Tribes and Alaska Native Villages
WASHINGTON – Today, May 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
announced over $225 million in funding to improve access to safe and reliable
drinking water and wastewater services for American Indian Tribes and Alaska
Native Villages. Through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA
is able to provide one of the largest annual investments in water
infrastructure funding to Tribes to help them advance public health and
environmental protections, such as identifying and replacing lead service
lines, or addressing harmful emerging contaminants in drinking water and
wastewater, like PFAS.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that Tribes
across the country have access to clean and safe water, and thanks to the
Investing in America Agenda, we are making more progress than ever
before,” said Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno
Pigott. “With this announcement, Tribes will be able to access funding for
critical public health improvements ranging from lead service line replacement
to get the lead out of drinking water to installation of wastewater
infrastructure to protect public health and improve water quality in lakes,
rivers, streams and oceans.”
 The FY 2024 funding will be administered through the following programs:
$69.4 million in Clean Water Indian Set-Aside through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds.
$133.8 million in Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set-Aside
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds.
$19.3 million in Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities
Tribal Grant Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.
$2.85 million in Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities Tribal
Grant Program through annual appropriation funds.
In the past, EPA’s funding to Tribes and Alaska Native Villages have been
used for everything from establishing clean, safe wastewater treatment to
pesticide reduction to waterways where fish consumption is critical to
establishing backup power sources for wastewater systems after extreme weather
like the wildfires. And with today’s announcement, Tribes across the country
will be able to apply for funding to do more critical water infrastructure
work.
Some examples of Tribal Investments made possible by President Biden’s
Investing in America Agenda include:
$1,586,000 was awarded the Tohono O’odham Nation to install a new arsenic
treatment facility for groundwater wells on the Sells public water system. The
system was experiencing rising arsenic levels that are close to the maximum
containment level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion. The project will serve 1,014
homes in the Sells and Big Fields communities.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe received $985,778 to construct two new groundwater
wells to supply the Bylas community public water system, whose current water
source is impacted by E. coli contamination. Construction of the new wells was
completed in early 2024.
The $1,787,500 forgivable loan that the Fallon-Paiute-Shoshone Tribe in Nevada
received to continue a project to enhance an existing wastewater treatment
lagoon and install a lift station resulting in improved sanitation and
environmental health.
The $2 million for the Clearwater River, Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho to
help ensure salmon is healthy for consumption. Thanks to the BIL funding
through the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, the Nez Perce Tribe will
use permanent and semi-permanent practices to reduce pesticides that
infiltrate waterways in the Clearwater River watershed. Reducing pesticides in
waterways benefits all living things that rely on the waters of the Columbia
River Basin.
The $600,000 investment to help eight tribes in California fund the sighting
and installation of back-up power generators for their wastewater treatment
systems. After some of the California wildfires these wastewater systems lost
power and this investment will help ensure critical infrastructure is
available during extreme weather.
The $989,000 to help the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma address the
Reservation’s overloaded wastewater treatment lagoon system. Upgrades will
help properly treat wastewater for over 200 homes and help resolve problems
with discharges of raw sewage. 
Learn more about EPA’s Tribal Water program,  EPA’s Tribal Drinking Water
Funding Programs, and EPA’s Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Program.
Background
The Clean Water Indian Set-Aside program was established under the 1987
amendments to the Clean Water Act and provides funding for wastewater
infrastructure to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Funds may
be used for planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection and
treatment systems.
The Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set Aside is a longstanding
program funded from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that provides
direct EPA support for Tribal water infrastructure improvements. The Small,
Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities Tribal Grant program was created
under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act and
provides support for Tribal drinking water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
builds on successful programs like the WIIN Act’s Grant Programs and the
Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set Aside to bring additional
public health protections and drinking water improvements to more Tribal
communities across the country.
EPA has released guidance on the implementation of Clean Water and Drinking
Water Indian Set-Aside funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law to prioritize public health projects including addressing emerging
contaminants and lead service line replacement projects.
The Alaska Rural and Native Villages (ANV) Grant Program also provides funding
for the construction of high priority drinking water and wastewater facilities
in rural Alaska as well as training, technical assistance and educational
programs in support of sustainable water systems. The FY 2024 allocation for
ANV is $39 million.
Infrastructure projects for these programs are primarily implemented in
partnership with the Indian Health Service, who are partners with EPA in
the Tribal Infrastructure Task Force (ITF).
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