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Filling a glass from the kitchen tap. Running a hot shower. Flushing the toilet. These are everyday acts that most Americans take for granted. But for more than 2 million people in the United States, these simple tasks are impossible.
According to a 2019 report from the U.S. Water Alliance and DigDeep, millions of Americans lack basic indoor plumbing – including an estimated 48% of Native American households. Native families are 19 times more likely than white households to lack access to indoor plumbing, as reported by the 2021 Water and Tribes Initiative. The result is a persistent public health crisis, one that became deadly during COVID-19 when elders and children in tribal communities were unable to follow basic hygiene recommendations due to unsafe or nonexistent water infrastructure.
The barriers to clean and safe water for tribal nations are systemic. Infrastructure investment has been historically insufficient. Federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions overlap in confusing and inefficient ways. Many tribes face unresolved water rights, and programs like the Indian Health Service’s Sanitation Facilities Construction initiative remain chronically underfunded. In 2021, IHS estimated a $3 billion shortfall just to meet current water and sanitation needs in tribal areas.
The Herald’s editorial board believes this crisis is long past due for meaningful action. That’s why we are encouraged by efforts from Colorado and other lawmakers – especially Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper – who reintroduced in the Senate 2023 legislation to expand tribal access to clean water (Herald, July 18).
The legislation would:
- authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program to provide grants and loans for technical assistance, financial support, and water infrastructure construction;
- increase funding for USDA’s Community Facilities program by $100 million annually for five years, with $30 million each year earmarked specifically for technical assistance;
- authorize $2.5 billion in additional funding over five years for the Indian Health Service to support water and sanitation facility construction, including $150 million for technical assistance and $500 million for operations and maintenance assistance; and
- authorize $90 million over five years for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Native American Affairs Technical Assistance
We’re also heartened to see Colorado’s full congressional delegation unite across party lines. On Monday, all 10 members signed a bipartisan letter urging the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to release $140 million in federal funds that had been withheld. These funds – made available through the Inflation Reduction Act – are designated for 17 drought-stricken projects across the Colorado River Basin. These projects are critical to improving water quality, ensuring delivery, and protecting endangered habitats.
In a state where drought conditions are worsening – Durango was recently upgraded to severe drought by Drought.gov – we need elected leaders to treat water access like the existential issue it is. NOAA’s latest drought outlook shows no relief in sight. Our monsoon season is barely a whisper. Just step outside and look up.
We commend Rep. Jeff Hurd on his appointment as Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. As he acknowledged in his recent column (Herald, Aug. 3), it’s rare for a freshman Representative to take up a gavel. With this authority comes opportunity – and responsibility.
We urge Rep. Hurd to support H.R. 4377, Tribal Access to Clean Water Act, alongside its sponsor Rep. Joe Neguse and others who have championed this cause. And we hope he follows through on his promise to “strengthen the federal government’s relationship with tribal nations and to ensure that Washington is a better partner – one that respects tribal sovereignty, follows through on commitments, and supports real, lasting progress on the ground.”
To do anything less would be to continue a long-standing injustice and violate this country’s trust obligations to Indigenous communities.
