EPA, Hopi Tribe, federal partners reach milestone on safe drinking water, conclude Administrative Orders
PHOENIX – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has terminated three Safe Drinking Water Act Administrative Orders with four Hopi Villages and one Administrative Order on Consent with the Hopi Tribe, following successful collaboration on drinking water issues between the EPA, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service (IHS), and the Hopi Tribe. These parties have overseen the effort to bring safe drinking water to approximately 6,400 residents living within the boundaries of the Hopi Reservation in Navajo County, Arizona.
This joint effort has seen the Hopi Cultural Center and four tribal village public water systems, including the First Mesa Consolidated Villages and the Villages of Sipaulovi, Shungopavi, and Mishongnovi, return to compliance with the limit on arsenic in drinking water (Maximum Contaminant Level, or MCL) set by federal law.) The parties achieved this public health milestone by connecting to the New Regional Water System, which is run by the Hopi Utilities Corporation (HUC).
"EPA is committed to protecting the health of tribal members," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "It is essential that water systems, particularly those responsible for providing drinking water to tribal communities, adhere to safety standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act."
The tribal village water systems were out of compliance with the arsenic MCL, with arsenic levels at these community water systems ranging from 12 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to 35 mg/L. The Safe Drinking Water Act-regulated standard for arsenic is 10 mg/L. The EPA issued Administrative Orders to the Villages and entered into a settlement agreement with the Hopi Tribe for the Hopi Cultural Center. In 2023 and 2024, EPA terminated the Orders and the settlement agreement following the Hopi Cultural Center and the Villages connecting to the New Regional Water System, which serves arsenic-compliant drinking water. This achievement represents an immense public health benefit to the Hopi residents.
The successful completion of the New Regional Water System not only provides safe drinking water to residents of the Hopi Tribe but also lowers the overall operation and maintenance costs over time, reduces the burden on the Villages for maintaining appropriately certified operators, and increases the Tribe's capacity to accommodate future growth and demand. The New Regional Water System resulted from decades of collaboration and over $25 million of federal and Tribal infrastructure investment.
EPA required that the Hopi Cultural Center and the four Villages permanently disconnect from their previous source of drinking water to protect the water quality of the New Regional Water System.
For more on protective drinking water standards and drinking water regulations visit EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act webpage.
For more information on how EPA protects America's waters visit EPA’s Water Enforcement webpage.
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