EPA Announces Two Awards Totaling $2 Million to Santo Domingo Pueblo for Waste Management

 US EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Two Awards Totaling $2 Million to Santo Domingo Pueblo for Waste Management

DALLAS, TEXAS (May 22, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a community grant for $1.5 million and an Environmental Justice Government to Government Award for $539,452 to Santo Domingo Pueblo, totaling $2,039,452. The $1.5 million grant is for planning and engineering design activities associated with improvements to the Domingo, Galisteo, and Main Village lift stations as part of the comprehensive Santo Domingo wastewater distribution system project. The $539,452 grant will educate residents on the dangers of open dumps and remove several open dumps within Tribal lands.

“This funding puts into action President Biden’s commitment to addressing clean water and environmental justice issues on Tribal lands,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Santo Domingo Pueblo will use these grants to develop critical long-term wastewater management strategies and tackle local pollution issues affecting Tribal communities. We look forward to working with Santo Domingo Pueblo on these environmental issues.”

“Every person deserves access to clean and safe drinking water. Improving wastewater infrastructure and waste management is an important part of that. I’m proud to have secured over $2 million through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Appropriations process for the Santo Domingo Pueblo to build a wastewater treatment plant and remove open dump sites. This new investment will help leaders of the Pueblo address pollution, make their communities safer, and protect the health and well-being of families,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“I’m proud to welcome this critical investment of more than $2 million to the Santo Domingo Pueblo to improve wastewater infrastructure throughout their community and help safeguard their environment. This funding will help clean up the land and help educate residents on how to better remove waste to keep their community safe,” said U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján. “Critically, I’m pleased that $1.5 million of this funding will be used to install an efficient wastewater system that will benefit the Santo Domingo Pueblo and the surrounding areas for generations to come.”

Santo Domingo Pueblo identified the need for a long-term and efficient wastewater system to manage wastewater across Pueblo lands. With this $1.5 million grant funding, the Pueblo will plan and design a centralized wastewater treatment plant that will improve wastewater infrastructure across the territory. The estimated duration of this project is 14 months.

With the Environmental Justice Government to Government grant, Santo Domingo Pueblo plans to clean up 11 non-hazardous waste open dump sites and conduct six free trash weeks, three tire amnesty events, and two open dump community workshops. The grant will also fund outreach efforts to 2,000 community members to ensure residents understand proper waste disposal methods and the hazards of open dump sites, including soil and water contamination, to eliminate the practice of open dumping.

Both of these grants’ objectives align with goals set in the EPA FY 2022- FY2026 Strategic Plan, ensuring underserved communities have clean and safe drinking water and maintain crucial water infrastructure.