SPOKANE, Wash. — U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell announced on Friday, Nov. 1 that five tribes in Washington state will receive grants totaling over $7.7 million for projects to address inadequate water infrastructure and improve the safety and supply of drinking water for their members.
According to a press release from the office of Senator Cantwell, the money comes from the Bureau of Reclamation’s Tribal Domestic Water Program, one of many investments made by Senator Cantwell in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The Kalispel Tribe of Indians will receive $2,357,536 for water infrastructure planning and design.
“This funding will jumpstart a Kalispel Tribe project to develop new water sources that the Tribe will own and operate, ensuring reliable access to safe drinking water,” said Senator Cantwell.
The money will allow the Tribe to plan, design and acquire permits for a domestic drinking water project on the Kalispel Reservation.
The project seeks to develop new water sources owned and operated by the Tribe and to integrate the new sources with the existing system, providing access to safe, regulated and clean drinking water to underserved homes and public facilities.
The Confederated Tribes of Colville will receive $111,995 for their Keller Water System Main Loop Replacement Design project.
“The Colville Tribe will use this funding to replace water infrastructure that was destroyed in a flood, reestablishing a second supply of water for residents of the rural town of Keller,” said Sen. Cantwell.
The money will allow the Tribe to replace a crucial component of the water system for the isolated Tribal town of Keller.
Recent severe floods broke a looping line for the town’s water system, leaving the town reliant on a single water supply line, which is reportedly at risk of interruptions to its water supply from impacts to the main trunk line and water quality degradation from line dead ends.
This project proposes to design a replacement looping line suspended from the Silver Creek Road bridge, which will be more resilient in the face of future flood events.
Other tribes in Washington that will receive money include the Lummi Tribe, the Makah Tribe and the Hoh Indian Tribe.
