Hickenlooper, Bennet, Hurd Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Clean Drinking Water for Western Tribal Communities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet along with Representatives Jeff Hurd and Brittany Pettersen introduced the Western Tribal Water Act to prioritize funding for drinking water projects in Tribal communities in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

"Insufficient drinking water infrastructure has prevented Colorado's Tribes from accessing their own water for far too long," said Hickenlooper. "This year's historically low snowpack and worsening drought conditions make it even more important that we upgrade aging infrastructure and deliver reliable access to clean water for Colorado's Tribes."

"Too many Tribal communities in Colorado and across the West cannot access clean, safe water," said Bennet. "The Western Tribal Water Act will combat this problem by ensuring that Upper Colorado River Basin Tribal communities with challenges accessing clean water get the help they need and the drinking water they deserve."

"Reliable water is foundational to life in Western and Southern Colorado, including for Tribal communities that have gone too long without consistent access to safe, clean drinking water," said Hurd. "The Western Tribal Water Act helps address that need by advancing long overdue infrastructure projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin and ensuring these communities are no longer left behind. This is about honoring our commitments, supporting locally driven solutions, and delivering dependable water resources for generations to come."

"For far too long, Colorado's Tribes have dealt with outdated infrastructure that makes it difficult to access clean, safe water," said Pettersen. "In Colorado, we're already experiencing historic drought and low snowpack. It's more important than ever that we ensure Tribal communities have the tools they need to modernize their infrastructure and access clean water for years to come."

The Upper Colorado River Basin is home to several Tribes facing an over $100 million backlog in collective water infrastructure needs. Despite these significant water-supply and reliability challenges, the Upper Colorado River Basin is not prioritized in the Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program. This Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program helps Tribes in other drought-stricken basins across the West improve their drinking water supplies.

Congress established the Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and expanded the program in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program authorizes EPA to plan, design, and construct drinking water infrastructure projects for Tribal communities with water access difficulties.

The program prioritizes areas without reliable access to clean drinking water and addresses the needs of communities affected by contamination, aging infrastructure, or geographic isolation. By prioritizing high-need areas and funding major capital improvements, it aims to improve public health, strengthen infrastructure resilience, and advance equity in federal water investments.

Specifically, the Western Tribal Water Act would:

• Reauthorize the Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program through 2028

• Increase the authorization by $10 million annually, for a total of $60 million

• Prioritize 10 Tribal drinking water projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin

"Please give the Western Tribal Water Act your full support," said Selwyn Whiteskunk, Chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. "The White Mesa Community and other Tribal communities that are struggling to supply clean drinking water to their people will benefit from this legislation."

"Access to drinking water is a basic necessity," said Melvin Baker, Chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. "The Act will reauthorize the Program through 2028, increase the annual available funding to $60 million, and prioritize 10 drinking water projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin. It takes meaningful steps to ensure our communities have access to clean and reliable drinking water. We encourage its passage."

"I strongly support this bill," said John Echohawk, Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund. "Access to clean, safe drinking water is not a privilege - it is a basic human right. Expanding this program is a long overdue step toward honoring commitments to Tribal Nations."

Hickenlooper has consistently fought to secure federal funding to improve water access for the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes. In 2021, he helped introduce the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act to dramatically expand access to clean water in Tribal communities by investing in water infrastructure. Earlier this year, Hickenlooper introduced the bipartisan Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act to reauthorize the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP) for five years and help improve water management for Colorado's local communities and tribal lands.

Full text of the bill available HERE.

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