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
                                                                           'U
 Piping Projects
8.3% of total projects
Other (e.g. grinder
 pumps, aerators)
4% of total projects
       From 2005

                                                                  2015
       874  Projects
                                              n_e

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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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