Ensuring Access to BASIC SANITATION for Indian Country EPA supports tribal communities in improving wastewater infrastructure. OWJjx 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 SI^H ^B \J 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 mmmm 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 raltlrurararurtlraltlrurirtlfflrtlrtlrtl rtlflrtllflltlrtlrtlrtllflrtlrtlrtlrtlltlrtlrtlrtll' 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. o 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. fti fti fti fti fti fti • • • • • 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 ------- |