Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: Pascua Yaqui Tribe celebrates ‘blessing’ of federal water funds
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Pascua Yaqui win water funds, first of $150 million for Arizona projects
Monday, February 1, 2021
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Pascua Yaqui Council members called it “a blessing” last Tuesday.
They were talking about $900,000 in federal funds that will be used to bring water to the tribe’s lands for irrigation, the first fruits of an effort last year by members of the state’s congressional delegation to win $150 million in federal funding for water projects around the state.
“Water is sacred to a lot of tribes and a lot of Arizonans. For us, it’s a blessing,” Pascua Yaqui Chairman Peter Yucupicio said at a news conference announcing the funding. “We started looking at this and we said, ‘This will help us now and in the future.’”
The money comes from an Army Corps of Engineers fund dedicated to water infrastructure projects in Arizona. Under the bill, local governments can enter into agreements with the corps for water, wastewater treatment, environmental restoration and other projects. The Army would pay 75% of the cost of the project and the local government would assume all operating costs once the work was completed. The $150 million Arizona fund has no time limit but is available until all the money is spent. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, who was the lead sponsor of the measure, said it is based on similar programs that other states have enjoyed. “The 75/25 cost-sharing model is the same as other states that benefit from this program,” said Stanton during Tuesday’s news conference with Pascua Yaqui officials. “Arizona will now be able to benefit from this existing program, and we’re adopting the cost sharing models that were already in place.” The program started as a bill sponsored last spring by Stanton and four other Arizona House members, before it was rolled into a larger water-funding bill over the summer. Stanton ultimately got language from the bill incorporated into a 5,593-page budget bill that included the $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package signed December 27 by then-President Donald Trump.Big news: The Pascua Yaqui Tribe will receive $900,000 in federal funds to build a critical water pipeline on the reservation.
— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) January 26, 2021
This is the first project to receive funds through the Arizona environmental infrastructure program I secured in #WRDA2020. https://t.co/nwwLQMdauM
![Tres Rios Wetlands](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/01/tresrioswetlands.jpg)
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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