Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Program Fact Sheet ------- Summary: What is CWISA? The Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Act (CWISA) program protects public health and the environment by improving wastewater sanitation facilities for tribal communities. The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) established the CWISA program. 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. Since inception, EPA has administered the CWISA program in close cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction program. The ten EPA Regions are responsible for the administration of the regional CWISA programs, and EPA Headquarters provides national program coordination, oversight, and policy direction. EPA Regions use the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System (SDS) database to identify projects for CWISA program funds. CWISA Has an Extensive Positive Impact In FY 2023, the CWISA program received not only $15,515,000 from Congress in EPA's regular appropriation, but also $48,540,000 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) general supplemental funding to be distributed in upcoming award cycles. FY 2023's funding will be awarded throughout FY 2023 and FY 2024. CWISA Program Impact $70,000,000 90 $60,000,000 A 3 70 $50,000,000 V /¦ ¦ $40,000,000 50 $20,000,000 I I I I I I Fiscal Year 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 | IIJA Funding $40,040,000 $48,540,000 | EPA Program Appropriations $33,104,000 $32,777,000 $32,777,000 $32,777,000 $23,904,000 $15,515,000 ™ Number of Projects Funded 59 45 44 31 82 70 FY 2023 ~ Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Act Fact Sheet 1 ------- Case Study 1 Backup Power Generators for Wastewater Systems for Tribes in California Due to recent extreme wildfire events, California commercial power providers expanded the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Program, which temporarily cuts off power to specific areas to reduce the risk of fires caused by electrical infrastructure. Due to their location within PSPS-targeted areas, tribes in effected areas have experienced unpredictable and extended loss of power, with some outages lasting more than five days. Consequently, many tribal water and wastewater systems have been at a high risk of water outages or sewage overflows due to a lack of backup power and/ or sufficient storage to support their water infrastructure. To address this critical need, the EPA, the Indian Health Service, and the California Office of Emergency Services partnered to support a tribal program to install backup generators. These partners identified needs, funded projects, and conducted outreach to tribes; all three agencies worked together to plan, design, and install the generators. In 2019 and 2020, EPA awarded approximately $600,000 in CWISA funding to assist 8 tribal wastewater systems and approximately $1 million in Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside funding to assist 16 tribal water systems. An additional $1.2 million in IHS and State of California funds have been committed to assist 16 water and wastewater systems with backup power generators. A total of 32 backup power generators have been installed to date through this partnership, with many others in the design, solicitation, or construction stage. Case Study Data Source: Indian Health Service Sanitation Deficiency System The Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria installed this emergency generator for their wastewater system Case Study 2 The Oneida Nation, located near Green Bay, Wisconsin, repaired and rehabilitated wastewater sewer mains and manholes that are a part of the Main Community wastewater collection system using IHS and EPA CWISA funds.. After a previous review by IHS, parts of the sewer were found to have inflow and infiltration (l/l) issues that required updates and repairs to maintain wastewater services for 583 homes. EPA contributed $561,200 of funding to support this project. Due to seasonal increases in wastewater flows, the sewer main experienced instances of l/l. To combat this, the project replaced more than 800 feet of sewer main, as well as repairing almost 1,500 feet of existing main lines. At the same time, 25 vertical feet of manhole was replaced, and 30 additional manholes were repaired. The project ensured that sewer lines remained efficient and operational for the affected homes. FY 2023 ~ Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Act Fact Sheet 2 ------- Case Study 3 Wastewater Treatment Lagoon System Upgrades in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation The Town of Dewar, located in The Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation, owns and operates a public wastewater treatment lagoon system. Census data indicates that many lagoon communities are economically disadvantaged, and a high percentage of lagoon facilities have compliance concerns. The lagoon in Dewar was overloaded and had been out of compliance for discharged effluent limits for over 15 years. Repairs and upgrades were needed to ensure the system could meet those requirements. Almost 200 Tribal homes are served by this project, including the nearly 800 people living in Dewar, according to the 2020 US Census. In 202.1, this lagoon upgrade project was selected for funding and $989,000 of EPA's Clean Water Indian Set Aside funds were reserved for this project, which was combined with II IS and Oklahoma Water Resources Board funding. To provide for adequate treatment of the Town's wastewater, the existing lagoon cells were rehabilitated and new cells and a new bentonite clay liner were added. Additionally the project added new concrete manholes and structures, 12-inch PVC sewer piping, valves, a cascade aerator, security fencing, an influent lift station, and a backup generator. Construction was completed in June of 2023. These improvements have drastically improved the Town's wastewater treatment system and should provide a safe, regulated wastewater disposal facility foryears to come. Case Study Data Source: Indian Health Service Sanitation Deficiency System The rehabilitated and expanded lagoon in the Town of Dewar, in The Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Case Study 4 The wastewater system for the Fort Totten community of the Spirit Lake Tribe, about 150 miles northeast of Bismark, North Dakota, is served by a main sewage lift station. The sewer system consists of a combination of 8" and 10" PVC gravity sewer main and concrete manholes. Due to the age and system use, the coating and concrete applied within the lift system degraded, and concrete fragments were damaging and plugging pumps. Continued use of the lift station would lead to further damage of both the integrity of the structure and the pumps within. The lift station was overdue for a replacement, and a new, durable lining would be applied to ensure that the station remained in service for years to come. EPA contributed $500,000 to the lift station replacement project. The project provided an effective, lasting solution to ensure that the 222. homes served by the sewer collection retained safe and secure access to wastewater services. FY 2023 ~ Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Act Fact Sheet 3 ------- oEPA www.epa.gov EPA Publication 832F24015 ------- |