Tribal Governments Role in Safe Drinking Water on Tribal Lands

Financial Assistance

Tribal governments oversee water system utilities or utility boards. Along with tribal utilities, tribal governments are responsible for providing safe drinking water that complies with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

EPA provides technical assistance to tribal water systems through the following programs:

• Tribal Public Water System Supervision Program (Tribal PWSS) - provides technical, managerial and financial capacity development training to assist the utility with system operations; and
• Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant – Tribal Set Aside Program (DWIG – TSA) - provides funding to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements.

EPA also provides other training and technical assistance to tribes to aid in regulatory compliance.