The Bureau of Reclamation recently awarded $9.9 million to tribal communities across the U.S. to assist in improving their water supply and drought sustainability, according to a Nov. 23 press release.
The Native American Affairs Technical Assistance Program (TAP) provided the funds to 31 tribes over 12 states as grants or cooperative agreements, the release said. The amounts range from $10,000 for the Ute Tribe Water Monitoring Improvements in Utah to several receiving as much as $400,000.
“Water 2021 was one of the most hydrologically challenging years to date. As the year unfolded, Reclamation recognized the need to reprogram $100 million dollars to directly deal with the drought and to build resiliency into the future,” Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in the release. “This funding is a part of that reprogramming and will help facilitate partnerships with Tribes and Tribal organizations as they address severe and continued drought conditions affecting their critical water resources. Reclamation is committed to partnering with Indian Tribes and Tribal nations on these important water resources issues.”
The challenge was due to historic drought conditions during 2021, the release said. Total funding for TAP usually ranges between $2 and $3 million annually. The increase aims to remedy the effects of the year by increasing tribal water supply sustainability and drought resiliency, according to the Bureau.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) also made investments to mitigate the effects of the drought, which included reprogramming funding into drought-related programs and projects, the release said. Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo said this is part of DOI’s commitment to partner with Tribal nations.
“It also comes amid record federal investments in Tribal communities, particularly from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will make transformational investments in Indian Country, provide further funding to reach more communities and develop longer-term measures to respond to drought and climate change, and replace aging infrastructure,” Trujillo said In the release.
The Bureau of Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier in the country and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power, the release said. As part of their strategy, TAP, begun in the early 1990s, provides technical assistance to tribes to “develop, manage, and protect their water and related resources,” according to usbr.com. They recently closed a grant funding opportunity for FY 2022 for projects related to water resources.
