In a continued push to support environmental justice and public health in Tribal communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $3 million in grant funding for projects aimed at reducing lead in drinking water systems across Indian Country.

The funding, recently made public, supports three projects that focus on removing aging infrastructure and legacy sources of lead—a persistent health risk in many underserved areas.

“Strengthening public health for Tribes and reducing toxic lead in drinking water are priorities as we work to ensure that all Americans have clean and safe water under the agency’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Peggy Browne.

The projects are funded under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Tribal Grant Program and will be administered through interagency agreements with the Indian Health Service (IHS). The EPA anticipates awarding grants after completing all legal and administrative requirements.

Here’s how the funding will be distributed:

• City of Anadarko, Oklahoma: $1 million will go toward identifying, inventorying, and replacing lead-lined water mains. The project is expected to reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water and improve community health.
  
  
• Mescalero Apache Tribe, New Mexico: Over $1 million will fund the rehabilitation of an old community water storage tank. This includes removing lead-based paint, repairing steel components and welds, repainting, and restoring the tank to active use.
  
  
• White Mountain Apache Tribal Utility Authority, Arizona: $984,000 will be used to rehabilitate three deteriorating steel water storage tanks by removing lead-based paint and addressing structural issues.

The EPA emphasized that these efforts support safe drinking water for both current residents and future generations.

The funding comes amid a broader federal focus on improving Tribal water infrastructure. In July, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reaffirmed the agency’s longstanding Indian Policy, which outlines nine principles for working with Tribal governments. That same month, the EPA made $1 million in grant funding available to help Tribes develop underground injection control programs to safeguard groundwater while supporting economic development.

This year alone, the EPA has made $202 million available for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements for American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. An additional $49 million is being used to provide technical assistance to small, rural, and Tribal communities working to modernize their wastewater systems.

While challenges remain, these investments represent a coordinated effort to address decades of underinvestment and build a more equitable water future.