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Miccosukee Tribe Benefits from Recovery Act Funds to Improve Water Services

Release Date: 07/09/2009
Contact Information: Kara Belle, (404) 562-8322, belle.kara@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – July 9, 2009) The Miccosukee Tribe will have improved access to vital water services through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Indian Health Service (IHS) today announced $90 million nationwide for ‘shovel ready’ infrastructure projects designed to better protect human and environmental health in Indian Country.

“This significant funding marks an investment of Recovery Act funds for drinking water infrastructure improvements that will help protect public health and the environment,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Regional Administrator. “The installation of a 250,000-gallon water tank will increase the storage capacity for emergencies and improve water pressure in more than 50 Tribal homes.”

The project will provide a drinking water storage tank to bring water pressure in homes up to standard, and provide backup water flows in case of emergencies, such as fires. Continuing a tradition spanning 20 years, EPA and IHS have combined efforts to improve water services in Indian Country through identification of 95 wastewater and 64 drinking water priority projects to be completed by IHS’s Sanitation Facilities Construction Program with EPA Recovery Act funds. The projects exceed the Recovery Act requirement that 20 percent of the funds be used for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the recovery act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at recovery.gov.

More information about all the EPA Recovery Act water efforts: https://www.epa.gov/water/eparecovery/