Funding provided by the bureau of reclamation helps continue the makah tribes efforts to provide adequate and safe drinking water supplies for the community of neah BAY on the makah indian reservation

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded $1,810,605.72 to the Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation on August 27, 2025, under the Domestic Water Supply Projects program (CFDA 15.577) to develop comprehensive design plans for critical water infrastructure improvements serving the community of Neah Bay on the Makah Indian Reservation. The funded project encompasses three primary deliverables: completion of a 90 percent construction-level design for an activated carbon filtration system to address water quality contamination issues; development of engineering designs for replacing existing asbestos cement pipes with modern, water-tight piping materials throughout the domestic water distribution system; and creation of design specifications for a new water well. The Makah Tribe will engage a qualified water master planning contractor to execute project planning, evaluation, and design activities, with finalized design plans, technical specifications, and cost estimates suitable for competitive bidding to be delivered by the ultimate completion date of March 31, 2027.

This award addresses critical water reliability challenges resulting from Waatch River migration away from existing intake galleries, decreased regional precipitation, and water quality threats affecting the 1,700 residents in the service area, particularly the 562 households that will directly benefit from this infrastructure project. As a Project Grant under the Inflation Reduction Act authorities, this award supports the planning and design phase of water infrastructure development for a disadvantaged tribal community lacking reliable domestic water supplies and experiencing significant infrastructure deficiencies.

Activities

The makah tribe will complete a 90 percent construction-level design needed to install a site-specific activated carbon filtration system to improve current water quality condition on the reservation, a 90 percent construction-level design to replace the current asbestos cement pipes with water-tight modern piping materials in the communitys domestic water distribution system, and a 90 percent construction-level design for a new well. The makah tribe will select a qualified contractor that specializes in water master planning to carry out the applicable project planning, evaluation and design activities. Expected deliverables or outcomes: finalize design plans, technical specifications, and cost estimates at a level suitable for bidding.

Intended beneficiaries

The public purpose of this agreement is to support projects that are intended to increase water supply sustainability through investments in existing infrastructure and to improve water management. The proposed project will benefit tribal and non-tribal populations residing on the makah indian reservation, including visitors to the makah indian reservation. The total service area population is 1,700 residents. There are 562 households that will directly benefit from this project, in addition to tribal and community, and commercial facilities. Subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award): n a