Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska Benefits from Recovery Act Funds to Enhance Water Services

(Kansas City, Kan., July 8, 2009) - The Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska will have improved access to vital water services through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The E.P.A. (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Indian Health Service (IHS) today announced $90 million nationwide in "shovel ready" infrastructure plans designed to better protect human and environmental health in Indian Country.

"The funds will help fix aging infrastructure, focus on green solutions and provide good-paying jobs," said William Rice, Acting Regional Administrator. "Clean drinking water is essential for both healthy communities and healthy local economies."

The plans benefiting the Winnebago Tribe will provide $501,000 for drinking water improvements. Continuing a tradition spanning 20 years, E.P.A. and IHS's combined effort to enhance water services in Indian Country contributed to their identification of 95 wastewater and 64 drinking water priority plans to be completed by IHS's Sanitation Facilities Construction Plan through E.P.A. Recovery Act funds. The plans exceed the Recovery Act requirement that 20 percent of the funds be used for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency enhancements and other environmentally innovative projects.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Feb. 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 http://www.recovery.gov.

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