PORT ANGELES — The Makah and Hoh are among five Washington tribes that will receive $7.8 million in grants from the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s Tribal Domestic Water Program to fund projects to improve the safety and supply of drinking water on their reservations.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Edmonds, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, made the announcement Friday.
The Makah Tribe will use its $1.8 million award for wastewater improvements to replace existing septic tanks and drain fields, many of which fail during the rainy winter months.
The tribe will evaluate and identify alternative water supply sources to address water quantity and quality issues impacting water availability for its community water system.
The Hoh Indian Tribe received $75,000 for its Highlands Water System Expansion Plan Development project, an expanded water delivery and long-term management system in the Hoh Highlands area.
Other Tribal Domestic Water Program awardees were the Lummi Tribe ($3.4 million); Kalispel Tribe ($2.4 million); and the Confederated Tribes of Colville ($112,000).
The funding is available to communities in the 17 western U.S. states served by the Bureau of Reclamation, which will implement the program in two phases. The phase one funding is for planning, design or construction in fiscal year 2024; phase two funding will be for construction in fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
