Nevada tribes awarded $5 million to enhance water security

The water systems of three Nevada tribes are getting a $5 million upgrade, the state’s two U.S. senators announced on Wednesday.

“Access to clean, safe drinking water is essential for every community, and that’s no different for Tribes across Nevada,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said in a statement. “I’m proud to have secured this investment to help Tribes upgrade their water infrastructure, and I look forward to continuing to see Tribal Nations reap the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

Nevada has 21 federally recognized tribes, all of which face their own water challenges. Reservations are often remote and lack proper water treatment facilities and infrastructure.

About $3.8 million was awarded to the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, a tribe in Fallon with people of both Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone descent. The improvements will go toward the reservation’s water distribution and treatment system, according to a news release.

The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, which reside close to the Idaho border, will receive more than $1.5 million to eliminate the use of shallow private water wells for 88 homes. Those homes will instead be tapped into local water lines.

In 2023, the Las Vegas Review-Journal investigated the reservation’s hydrocarbon plumes that some tribal members believed contaminated the groundwater.

The remaining funds, about $30,000, will go toward preventing contamination in the water of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, whose reservation is 35 miles northeast of Reno.

All of the money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, a federal law backed by Democrats that has been called the largest investment in mitigating climate change in world history. Both Cortez Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who won reelection over Republican challenger Sam Brown last week, voted to pass the legislation in the Senate.

“This funding will help support Tribal communities’ water infrastructure and improve their access to reliable drinking water,” Rosen said in a statement. “I’ll keep working to deliver resources to all Nevadans so they can continue to thrive.”

Since winning the election, President-elect Donald Trump has signaled that he would retract any leftover funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s unclear how or when that may happen, according to analysts.

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