Ensuring Access to
BASIC SANITATION
for Indian Country
EPA supports tribal communities in improving wastewater infrastructure.
f\ \Z GROWING
2000
2010
The American Indian and Alaska Native
(tribal) population increased 8.4%
more than the national average.1
-399.000
tribal
homes
6% 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
Raw sewage often contains:
What does lack of access to
wastewater service mean?
Parasites, viruses,
and bacteria
Pharmaceuticals
Broken sewer lines Children play in septic overflow
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as pneumonia
• Skin diseases such as
staph infections
Chemical toxins, including
metals and pesticides
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 - ^ • • • •
the tribal population over $1 BlIllOII
$1 billion 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
Lagoons Lift Stations
21.9% of total projects 9.4% of total projects
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Piping Projects
8.3% of total projects
Other (e.g. grinder
pumps, aerators)
4% of total projects
From 2005
2015
874 Projects
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have been funded through CWISA.
EPA provided 65,562 tribal homes with access to basic
wastewater sanitation, in coordination with other federal partners.
In FY 2015, CWISA awarded roughly $29 million for wastewater treatment construction projects in tribal communities.
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WHEN POSSIBLE,
CWISA-FUNDED
PROJECTS HIRE
LOCAL RESIDENTS
to assist with building
wastewater infrastructure that will
serve their community.
80 Projects
12,115 tribal homes to be served and
40% to provide first-time access
to safe wastewater services.
As progress is made, challenges are being addressed through in-person and online training.
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The workshops reached 510 people
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Published online
O&M training modules
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Since 2011 sixteen in-person water and wastewater
Infrastructure operation and maintenance (O&M)
workshops
Representing over 123 tribes.
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 Agriculture
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
More ITF information at: www.epa.gov/tp/trprograms/infra-water.htm.
THE ONGOING WORK
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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.
EPA and other federal agencies aim to provide
an additional 14,300 American Indian
and Alaskan Native homes with access to basic
sanitation by 2018.
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
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-810-F-13-001
April 2016 (Revision)
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