Arizona Tribal water systems granted millions in federal grants for improvements

PHOENIX — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced this week millions in funding for Tribal water sanitation systems, irrigation upgrades and dam safety projects in five U.S. states with multiple investments in Arizona.

Haaland toured the Hopi Tribe’s Keams Canyon Water Project in northern Arizona ahead of making the announcement.

“In response to chronically underfunded infrastructure in Tribal communities, the president’s Investing in America agenda is deploying record investments to provide modern wastewater and sanitation systems, clean drinking water and reliable and affordable electricity,” Haaland said in a press release.

The funding, which comes from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide $6.6 million to Keams Canyon in Navajo County for water sanitation repairs and upgrades.

That money will go toward replacing fire hydrants and water lines, installing automated water meters and connecting a water distribution system to the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project.

HAMP is a water delivery system to replace the arsenic contaminated water found in wells in Keams Canyon.

Another $5 million will be used to improve known safety deficiencies at the A1, Bootleg, Cooley, Christmas Tree and Davis dams on the Fort Apache Reservation.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs also distributed $1 million each to the San Carlos Irrigation Project’s power division and Colorado River Agency electrical services.

“Water and power are crucial to ensuring the health, safety and empowerment of Tribal communities,” Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said in the release.

“… We are investing critical funding to revitalize and repair facilities throughout Indian Country, supporting our trust responsibilities, advancing economic opportunities and expanding access to clean, reliable drinking water for Indigenous communities.”