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  2. Tribal Programs in the Pacific Southwest

Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside (DWTSA) Program

EPA’s Pacific Southwest (Region 9) implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.

Related Resources

  • Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs
  • Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Program
  • Clean Water Emerging Contaminant (EC) Program
  • PFAS Drinking Water Sampling Project
  • School Drinking Water Lead Testing Project
On this page:
  • Purpose
  • Examples of Eligible Activities
  • Eligibility Requirements
  • Funding
  • How Do I Apply for Funding?
  • Important Dates
  • Documents
    • Guidance
    • Fact Sheets

Purpose

To assist federally recognized Tribes within EPA Region 9 to improve public water system infrastructure

Examples of Eligible Activities

Contacts

For general information about this program, please contact: 
Nancy Sockabasin
sockabasin.nancy@epa.gov
(415) 972-3772

Project Officers

Reno District: Katie Velazquez
velazquez.katie@epa.gov
(213) 244-1834

Escondido District, Sacramento District- Clovis: Madeleine Tango
tango.madeleine@epa.gov
(619) 874-0568

Tucson Area: Nancy Sockabasin
sockabasin.nancy@epa.gov
(415) 972-3772

Western Arizona and Sacramento District- Ukiah: Sara McGillewie
mcgillewie.sara@epa.gov
(213) 244-1859

Eastern Arizona District and Redding District: Emma Young
young.emma@epa.gov
(415) 594-7698

Navajo Nation Area: Adam Ramos
ramos.adam@epa.gov
(415) 972-3450

Infrastructure projects funded through the DWTSA must address the most significant threats to public health associated with public water systems that serve Tribal populations. Eligible infrastructure improvement projects can:

  • Rehabilitate/develop sources (excluding water rights);
  • Install or upgrade treatment facilities;
  • Install or upgrade storage facilities, including finished water reservoirs;
  • Install or replace transmission and distribution pipes;
  • Replace aging infrastructure if replacement is needed to maintain compliance or further the health protection goals of the SDWA;
  • Install new transmission, distribution or service lines to connect existing homes to a public water supply;
  • Water efficiency projects (e.g., installation of meters);
  • Expansion, consolidation, or development of a new public water system (limited circumstances, see below); and
  • Develop preliminary engineering reports (PERs).

EPA will also consider project eligibility for the following grant programs:

  • Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) Grant Program (Section 2014 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act) Assist public water systems in meeting Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements. Tribes are generally eligible to receive funding if the community population is less than 10,000 individuals. 

Tribes may submit one project proposal that will be considered for the DWTSA and the SUDC Programs. EPA will determine the most appropriate funding for each project.

Eligible project examples under the SUDC Grant Program include: 

  • Investments necessary for a public water system to comply with the SDWA.
  • Efforts that benefit a small or disadvantaged community on a per household basis.
  • Programs to provide household water quality testing, including testing for unregulated contaminants.
  • Activities necessary and appropriate to respond to a contaminant.
  • Activities to increase technical, managerial, and financial capacity of a public water system. 

Funding under this program cannot be used for operation and maintenance purposes or for routine compliance monitoring

Eligibility Requirements

Only federally recognized Indian Tribes within EPA Region 9 may submit proposals that benefit eligible public water systems (PWS). PWS eligibility is limited as follows:

  • Only public water systems that are community water systems or non-profit, non-community water systems are eligible to receive funding;
  • The water system must serve an Indian Tribe;
  • The water system must be in compliance with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations unless the project which is being funded will ensure compliance;
  • The water system must be operated by adequately trained and certified operators; and
  • The water system utility must have or be able to develop the technical, financial and managerial capacity to properly maintain the water system. 

Funding

Approximately $19 million in FY26 funds may be available to support eligible projects, including up to $3 million in base DWTSA funds and up to $16 million in supplemental IIJA funds. The region also expects to receive nearly $14 million to address emerging contaminants in drinking water and $18 million to investigate and remove lead service lines. EPA has created additional guidance for both the Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs and the DWTSA Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Program.

Tribes may request that projects be awarded as a direct grant to a Tribe or an interagency agreement with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Tribes may also request in-kind assistance through an EPA-directed contractor to provide technical assistance, complete project planning and preliminary engineering and support construction oversight. This assistance will be awarded under Section 300j-12 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. §1452.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 66.468. The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is EPA-CEP-01.

How Do I Apply for Funding?

To be considered for FY26 DWTSA funds, EPA must receive proposals by December 5, 2025.

All Project Proposal Applications must include the following: 

  • Project Proposal Form; and
  • Tribal Government Endorsement.

Construction Project Applications must include:

  • A Preliminary Engineering Report (PER); and
  • Documentation to Support the health category ranking

Planning Project Applications must include:

  • A detailed project proposal and description of the health deficiency
  • Documentation to support the health category ranking
  • Proposed budget;
  • Timeline for completion; and
  • The outcome of the project must be the development of a PER.

E-mail one electronic copy of the proposal and any documentation to: Nancy Sockabasin, sockabasin.nancy@epa.gov.

Electronic files exceeding 8MB must be separated into emails not exceeding 8MB each. If you have difficultly submitting electronic documentation, contact Nancy Sockabasin.

Important Dates

December 5, 2025

EPA must receive proposals by this date, including the proposal form, Tribal government endorsement, and preliminary engineering reports (PERs) or planning project proposals with supporting documents. Proposals received after December 5, 2025, will not be considered for funding.

E-mail one electronic copy of the proposal and any documentation to: Nancy Sockabasin at sockabasin.nancy@epa.gov.

Electronic files exceeding 8MB must be separated into emails not exceeding 8MB each. If you have difficultly submitting electronic documentation, contact Nancy Sockabasin.

January 2026

EPA will notify each applicant of the draft proposal priority and whether the project is selected to continue with the application process.

March 2026

Applicants can submit comments on their draft project prioritization. For projects selected to continue with the application process, applicants must submit responses to any EPA comments and submit any additional documentation or endorsements that EPA requests.

April-August 2026

EPA notifies applicants of the final ranking and funding decision, along with guidance letters for projects to be funded by grant.

May-August 2026

Tribe submits grant application, or Indian Health Service submits draft Memorandum of Agreement and signed Project Summary (exact dates will be included in funding decision notification letters).

September 2026

EPA awards funds for selected projects.

Documents

Free viewers and readers are available to access documents on our website. If you encounter issues with assistive technology, please contact us.

DWTSA Guidance

  • EPA Region 9 Fiscal Year 2026 DWTSA Guidance (pdf) (393.32 KB, September 2025)
    EPA Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside Program 2026 Guidelines and Procedures for Applying for Assistance.
  • EPA Region DWTSA Program Project Proposal Form (pdf) (268.66 KB, September 2025)
    EPA Region 9 Fiscal Year 2026 Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside (DWTSA) Grant Project Proposal Form.
  • EPA Region 9 DWTSA Financial Spreadsheet (xlsx) (20.87 KB, September 14, 2017)
  • Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) Template (Full Text - Updated) (pdf) (391.54 KB, January 16, 2013)
    Inter-agency recommended best practice for the development of Preliminary Engineering Reports in support of funding applications for development of drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste systems.
  • EPA Region 9 Project Management Capacity Checklist for Public Water Systems (pdf) (187.42 KB, September 2002)
    EPA Region 9's Tribal Set-Aside Grant Program has developed this checklist for applicants to demonstrate that they have the ability (either in-house or with the assistance of the IHS or another appropriate agency) to meet EPA’s project management requirements and properly oversee the construction project.
  • DWTSA Grant Project Management Checklist (pdf) (151.36 KB, September 2020)
    EPA Region 9's Tribal Set-Aside Grant Program developed this checklist for applicants to demonstrate they have the ability (either in-house or with the assistance of the IHS or other appropriate agency) to meet EPA’s project management requirements and properly oversee an SDWA funded construction project.

Fact Sheets

  • Fact Sheet: EPA Region 9 Tribal Water Infrastructure Program (pdf) (836.19 KB, September 2025)
    EPA Pacific Southwest (Region 9) fact sheet with information about EPA's Tribal water and wastewater infrastructure programs, including the Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside Program (DWTSA) which provides annual funding for federally recognized Tribes within Region 9 for public drinking water systems.

Tribal Programs in the Pacific Southwest

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  • Green Building Tools for Tribes
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Last updated on September 19, 2025
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