Ensuring Access to
BASIC SANITATION
for Indian Country
EPA supports tribal communities in improving wastewater infrastructure.
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2000
2010
The American Indian and Alaska Native
(tribal) population increased 8.4%
more than the national average.1
-400,000
tribal homes
in the U.S.
12% of these homes lack
access to safe drinking water
and/or wastewater facilities.2
WHY ARE THE AMERICAN
INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE
POPULATIONS UNIQUE?
• A higher proportion of tribal
communities use water
for subsistence living, traditions, and worship
• Often very remote and rural
• Each Federally recognized tribe is a
unique sovereign nation3
THE DANGER OF DISEASE
Exposure to untreated wastewater
can increase occurrences of:
• Gastrointestinal illnesses such
as hepatitis A, gastroenteritis,
and giardiasis (giardia)
• Respiratory illnesses such
as pneumonia
• Skin diseases such as
staph infections
Raw sewage often contains:
Parasites, viruses,
and bacteria
Pharmaceuticals
Chemical toxins, including
metals and pesticides
What does lack of access to
wastewater service mean?
Broken sewer lines Children play in septic overflow
Human waste carried in Pipes carry wastewater
five-gallon buckets directly into streams and waterways,
without treatment
Tribal community locations
across the U.S.
wastewater service to
$669 million is needed.
MAKING PROGRESS, DROP BY DROP
EPA's Clean Water Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) Program funding is dedicated to the planning, design, and construction of
wastewater treatment systems for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Types of projects typically carried out include:5
Septic Tanks/
Drain Fields
32.3% of total projects
Wastewater
Treatment Plants
24% of total projects
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Lagoons
21.9% of total projects
Lift Stations
9.4% of total projects
Piping Projects
8.3% of total projects
Other (e.g. grinder
pumps, aerators)
4% of total projects
From 2003
869 Projects
2013
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have been funded through CWISA.
EPA provided 69,783 tribal homes with access to basic
wastewater sanitation, in coordination with other federal partners.
In FY 2013, CWISA awarded roughly $27.5 million for wastewater treatment construction projects in tribal communities.
77 Projects
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13,658 tribal homes to be served and
46% to provide first-time access
to safe wastewater services.
WHEN POSSIBLE,
CWISA-FUNDED
PROJECTS HIRE
LOCAL RESIDENTS
to assist with building
wastewater infrastructure that will
serve their community.
As progress is made, challenges are being addressed through in-person and online training.
The workshops reached 344 people
Published online
O&M training modules
9 in-person water and wastewater infrastructure
operation and maintenance (O&M) workshops
Representing over 120 tribes.
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The Infrastructure Task Force (ITF) promotes access to sustainable safe drinking water and basic sanitation in
tribal communities by connecting tribes with infrastructure and resources. The task force aims to maximize these
federal investments by improving the capacity of tribes to perform operations and maintenance of their facilities.
The ITF is a multi-agency initiative led by EPA and composed of:
• Indian Health Service • U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Department of Agriculture • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
More ITF information at: www.epa.gov/tp/trprograms/infra-water.htm.
THE ONGOING WORK
In 2000, the U.S. agreed to support the United
Nations Millennium Development Goal to reduce
the number of homes without access to water and
basic sanitation by 50% by the year 2015.
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• • • • • i
EPA and other federal agencies aim to provide
an additional 14,51 3 American Indian
and Alaskan Native homes with access to basic
sanitation by 2015.
1 U.S. Census Bureau
2 Indian Health Service Sanitation Tracking and Reporting System (IMS-STARS)
3 Federal Register, Volume 78, Number. 87, "Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible
To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs"
4 IMS-STARS
5 Based on the 96 CWISA projects funded in 2009 through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act
6 Based on EPA's 2003 baseline
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-810-F-13-001
November 2013
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