2020
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside
Grant Program

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EPA HEADQUARTERS
Matthew Richardson
Office of Wastewater
Management
EPA REGIONAL CONTACTS
REGION 1: BOSTON
Jamie Bourne
Mark Spinale
EPA REGION 2: NEW YORK CITY
Denis Durack
EPA REGION 3: PHILADELPHIA
Brian Hamilton
EPA REGION 4: ATLANTA
Erskine Benjamin
EPA REGION 5: CHICAGO
John Colletti
Felicia Gaines
EPA REGION 6: DALLAS
Salvador Gandara
Glibert Tellez
EPA REGION 7: KANSAS CITY
Christopher Simmons
EPA REGION 8: DENVER
Bruce Cooper
Sallena Rodriguez
EPA REGION 9: SAN
FRANCISCO
Nancy Sockabasin
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside
Grant Program
Promoting access to sustainable sanitation in Indian Country
linking the development goals of the tribe with the need for
wastewater services and infrastructure.
PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS
Investment in wastewater services has helped reduce waterborne
infectious diseases in American Indian and Alaska Native
communities.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Investment in wastewater infrastructure protects and restores
water quality. It improves the health of the ecosystem for wildlife
and fish, which are important subsistence food sources for many
American Indian and Alaska Native people.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Increased water infrastructure investments reduce health
care costs, stimulate local economies, and create local jobs.
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EPA REGION 10: SEATTLE
Johnny Clark
Dennis Wagner
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Table of Contents
Regional Contacts	2
Introduction	4
CWISA Regional Programs Map	5
Funding Highlights	6
Programmatic Highlights	7
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside 2020 Report | 3

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Introduction
The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act
(CWA) established the Clean Water Indian Set-
Aside Grant Program (CWISA). CWISAs guiding
mission is to protect public health and the
environment by improving wastewater sanitation
facilities for tribal communities.
Section 518 of the CWA, as amended by the 2014
Water Resources Reform & Development Act,
governs the program and allows EPA to provide
funding for the planning, design, and construction
of wastewater treatment plant facilities that serve
federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaska Native
Villages (ANV), and certain tribes in Oklahoma.
The 10 EPA Regions are responsible for the
administration of the regional CWISA programs. EPA
Headquarters provides national program coordination,
oversight, and policy direction.
Since 1995, EPA has administered the CWISA Program
in close cooperation with the Indian Health Service
(IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction Program. EPA
Regions use the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System
(SDS) database to identify projects for CWISA program
funds. This cooperation streamlines project selection
procedures by eliminating duplication of efforts
between the two agencies.
This report highlights the program accomplishments
from 2016 through 2020.
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Environmental Protection in Indian Country
EPA's 10 Regions administer the CWISA
regional programs
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( * Values as appropriated by Congress and not adjusted to current year dollars.)( ** $2 million of the funds for each of these fiscal
years were used for education, training, and technical assistance.) (*** Number of homes affected by CWISA funds, in coordination
with other agencies)
The CWISA program provides funding for wastewater
infrastructure to American Indian tribes and Alaska
Native Villages. In the past 5 years, CWISA provided
$126 million to help finance nearly 250 projects, from
establishing first-time wastewater connections to
constructing sewers and rehabilitating systems.
EPA administers the program in close coordination
with the IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction
Program. The CWA authorized CWISA program funding
via one-half of one percent (0.5 percent) from the
Construction Grants Program appropriations for fiscal
years 1987 through 1990.
In 1992, Congress gave EPA the authority to take a 0.5
percent set-aside from the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund (CWSRF) appropriation following the phase-out
of the Construction Grants Program.
Beginning with EPA's FY 2001 Appropriation's Bill,
Congress authorized an increase from 0.5 percent to
1.5 percent of the CWSRF appropriation for the CWISA
Program.
In FY 2010, Congress authorized an increase from 1.5
percent to 2 percent from the CWSRF for the CWISA
Program. Since FY 2016, the CWISA appropriation from
Congress has been either 2 percent of the CWSRF or
$30 million, whichever is greater.
From a 2012 baseline to present, the CWISA Program
has provided over 120,000 tribal homes with access to
basic wastewater sanitation systems, and from 2016 to
2020, the program improved sanitation for over 52,000
homes.
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
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$33,500,000
$33,000,000
$32,500,000
$32,000,000
$31,500,000
$31,000,000
$30,500,000
$30,000,000
$29,500,000
$29,000,000
$28,500,000
$28,000,000
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside FY 2016-2020
Funding Report and Number of Homes Affected by CWISA Funds
2016	2017**	2018**	2019**	2020**
Number of Homes Affected by CWISA Funds***	Appropriation Amount*
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Individual Wastewater Services Project
The Shinnecock Indian Nation
The Center for Clean Water
Technology at Stony Brook
University provided homeowners
with installation support. In
addition, to facilitate future
maintenance and repair of these
facilities, the Shinnecock Nation
also provided homeowners
information on:
After conducting a Project Engineering
Assessment Report, the Shinnecock
Nation determined that many of the
identified homes require Innovative
& Alternative, Onsite Wastewater
Treatment Systems (OWTS).
Pump description, operation
instructions, and warranty
Developed as bu. t drawings of
water service line, septic tank, and
disposal field
For many years, the Shinnecock Nation
community (located on the eastern end of
Long Island, New York) relied on cesspools
and leaching pits for wastewater disposal.
However, due to system failures, the
community started to experience surface
discharge of untreated wastewater, causing
significant public health and environmental
concerns.
A residential cesspool discharge can
contribute a significant amount of nitrogen.
This can contribute to the degradation of
marshes, bays, beaches, and even enhance
growth of harmful algal blooms.
Given these sanitation challenges, the
Shinnecock Nation submitted a 200-horne
project proposal in 2018 to upgrade the
wastewater disposal system.
Homeowners were offered flexibility
in what type of OWTS to install at
their site.The Shinnecock Nation
recommended where to install a
nitrogen-reducing system; however, if
a homeowner chose to install a lower-
maintenance conventional system,
the homeowner had the option to do
so.
The advanced systems were installed
in areas that were at higher risk for
groundwater contamination along
coastal areas.
•Operation and maintenance
training provided by IHS.
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Improvements to Wastewati
Treatment Facilities:
Yavapai-Apache Indian
Reservation
Rehabilitation of the existing cells and the addition of one
more percolation pond increased efficiency in treatment and
also added capacity
Overall, the primary cell volume increased from 611,567 to
3,126,307 gallons. This additional volume will accommodate
longer detention times for treatment and more capacity for
community growth.
The Yavapai-Apache Nation requested
assistance to improve their wastewater
treatment facilities for residents of Middle
Verde, on the Yavapai-Apache Indian
Reservation, in central Arizona.
In response to the Nation's request, the Phoenix
Area IHS began planning the design and
construction of the facilities.
A wastewater masterplan was completed as
part of the IHS project. The plan included deep
anaerobic fermentation cells lined with high
density polyethylene and sedimentation ponds
adjacent to the existing lagoon system.
On July 12,2019, the IHS finalized the Yavapai-
Apache wastewater treatment project.The new
facilities provided an additional wastewater
treatment percolation pond, or cell. In addition,
the project rehabilitated the existing three-
celled facultative lagoon into two efficient
ponds.
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Tule River South Reservation Road
Sewer Extension Project:
Tule River Indian Tribe
n
The Tule River Sewer Extension Project was
the result of many years of planning and
coordination by the Tule River Indian Tribe, the
California Area IHS Sacramento District Office,
and EPA Region 9,
In the past, 34 homes on South Reservation
Road had failing Septic Tank Drainfield Systems
(STDFs) because soil conditions in the area
were not suitable for these types of systems.
The community commissioned a new
wastewater treatment plant and sewer
collection system in 2011 that services 108
homes. This 2018 project added the 34 homes
on South Reservation Road to the 2011
wastewater treatment plant system.
In 2018, the IHS Sacramento District Office
completed the design for the Tule River Sewer
Extension project. Given that many of the
homes on this project were lower in elevation
than the original sewer collection system, this
project utilized a combination of gravity and
low-pressure sewer systems.
The first construction phase of the 2018 plan
installed a sewer collection system that included
approximately 4,100 linear feet of gravity sewer
main and 6,200 linear feet of low-pressure sewer
force main, and six community grinder pump
stations. The sewer system was fully tested and
final connections made in late 2019.
This phase of the project overcame many
challenges including rock excavation for the
installation of sewer mains, adverse and varying
terrain, and unforeseen subsurface conditions.
Even with these challenges, the construction
process sought to minimize road and home access
disruptions in this active community. The IHS and
the Tribe worked together to communicate with
residents and to assure the job was successful and
on time.
This project has a direct impact on improving
the health of the community members on the
Reservation.
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Manhole Install of the North Reservation Road Sewer Extension Project
Tule River North Reservation Road
Sewer Extension Project:
Tule River Indian Tribe
Following the completion of the previously
described 2018 project, the crew was hard
at work on the North Reservation Road Sewer
Extension.This project will connect an additional
31 homes with failing drainfields to the community
collection system.
This phase will add approximately 6,700 linear feet
of sewer force main, 8 community grinder pump
stations, 2 individual grinder pump stations, and
approximately 7,000 linear feet of home sewer
service laterals to the existing system.
The Tule River Utility staff have learned a lot from
their work on the south reservation road and have
optimized their crew and order of operations to
minimize project duration. The force account crew
increased productivity and installed up to 500 linear
feet of force main per day.The Tribe completed this
phase of the project in fall 2020.
The Tribe and IHS are preparing for the next two
phases of construction: the community Scatter
Site project to connect an additional 18 homes to
the existing mainline and the Apple Valley Sewer
Extension to connect 22 homes via a combined
gravity and force main.
Together the funding partners reviewed the plans and
made adjustments to cut costs and save time during
construction. The Tribe will start on these projects once
North Reservation Road is complete. The target end
date for these activities is in summer 2021.
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Rehabilitated Treatment Cell back in use
Sells Sewer Main and Lagoon Upgrade Project:
Tohono O'odham Nation
Sells, Arizona is a tribal community of approximately 3,500
people and the center of government for the Tohono
O'odham Nation. The most recent wastewater treatment
expansion and upgrade was completed in 1999 when the
lagoon system was converted into a hybridized Advanced
Integrated Waste Pond System (AIWPS).
First, the IHS completed a planning project. Wastewater
was overflowing at manholes upstream of the Sells Lagoon
system. This was due to an accumulation of sludge in the
existing fermentation pits of the hybridized AIWPS ponds.
The high amount of sludge accumulation in the fermentation
pits meant the AIWPS was not functioning correctly.
in addition, the wastewater inflow was in exceedance of the
design capacity of the lagoon system. Lastly, lagoon liner
systems typically have a design iife of 2.0 years. Since the
existing liner was installed in 1999, the lagoon liner was
approaching the end of its design life.
As part of the expansion, the fermentation pits were
removed and the lagoon system has been returned to a
traditional facultative wastewater iagoon design.
Under the new design, the wastewater inflow enters the
lagoon system from the surface, not from the bottom of the
lagoon.This minimizes the clogging and surcharging issues
that the Tohono O'odham Utility Authority was experiencing
under the old design.The redesigned four treatment cells
have been expanded from 17 to 28 acres.
In addition, approximately 3,300 feet of sewer main
upstream of the Seils Lagoon was upgraded to allow for
increased capacity and to bring the sewer main up to
grade with the surface elevation of the iagoon system. The
expanded lagoon and sewer system is now fully in use with
no operational issues noted.
Due to the aforementioned factors, the IHS and EPA
cooperatively funded an expansion of the Sells Lagoon to
provide capacity for the current wastewater inflow and for
community growth over the next 20 years.
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Sand Point Outfall Project
EPA Region 10
Hole rubbed in the original outfall due to excessive exposure to wave action
on the rocks

j
*
Sand Point, Alaska, is located on Popof Island in
the Aleutian island chain. Commercial fishing
operations started in here in 1898 and fishing
remains the town's major industry with one of the
largest fishing fleets in the Aleutians. Nearly half the
976 inhabitants support themselves by fishing in the
Gulf of Alaska or by working at the fish processing
plant in town.
The topography presented other challenges to the old outfall,
including exposure to excessive wave action that damaged the
pipe. Built in the 1980s, the original outfall had floated twice
when its anchors failed. The new outfall was moved to the west,
and placement of "armor rock" provided pipe protection in the
surf zone.
The community has recently seen the completion
of a major water and sewer project that replaced
and extended the Kelly Avenue sewer outfall with
1,115 linear feet of 10-inch high-density polyethylene
(HOPE) outfall pipe, as well as new HOPE sludge
lagoon piping.
Because of unique site conditions, the new outfall
pipe and cast-iron weights were assembled on a
beach staging area three miles from its installation
point. The 60,000-pound assembly was towed to
the construction site using inflated inner tubes,
55-gallon drums, and buoys, it was then aligned and
submerged into place. Using diver assistance the air
tubes were deflated and endcaps removed.
Proposed outfall location to be constructed between the crevice in
	the center of the photo	
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Clean Water Indian Set-Aside 2020 Report
vvEPA
Office of Wastewater Management
1201 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA-832-R21-002.

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