R25AP00501

PROJECT OVERVIEW:THE YUROK TRIBE REQUESTS $3,968,300 TO PLAN, DESIGN, AND SECURE ALL NECESSARY PERMITS FORTHE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRIBALLY OWNED DOMESTIC WATER DELIVERY INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEM FORRESIDENTIAL USERS ON THE UPRIVER PORTION OF THE YUROK RESERVATION.PROJECT PRIORITIZATION:THE PROJECT WAS PRIORITIZED UNDER CATEGORY 3 (IMPROVING WATER QUALITY TO MEET DRINKINGWATER STANDARDS (E.G., VIOLATIONS OF DRINKING WATER STANDARDS, INADEQUACIES IN THEINFRASTRUCTURE AVAILABLE TO DISTRIBUTE WATER FOR DOMESTIC USES IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES ANDPRESSURES TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY).BASIS FOR SELECTION:THE YUROK PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT OWNS AND OPERATES FOUR PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS ON THEUPRIVER PORTION OF THE YUROK RESERVATION, RELIANT ON SURFACE WATER STREAMS FOR 100% OF THEIRSUPPLY. YUROK PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS PREPARED A RISK SUMMARY FOR THE TRIBAL WATERSYSTEMS. WAUTEC, KEPEL AND KENEK PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM USERS ALL ARE AT A VERY HIGH RISKOF RUNNING OUT OF WATER IN EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS.THERE ARE, ON AVERAGE, APPROXIMATELY 300 TRIBAL MEMBERS RESIDING IN THE AREA, DEPENDING ONTHE TIME OF YEAR, FROM THE YUROK VILLAGES OF WAUTEC TO WEITCHPEC ALONG THE KLAMATH RIVER.THESE VILLAGES ARE SOME OF THE OLDEST, MOST CULTURALLY IMPORTANT COMMUNITIES IN YUROKANCESTRAL TERRITORY. YUROK FAMILIES HAVE LIVED HERE SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL. MANY OF THESEHOUSEHOLDS, WHICH INCLUDE ELDERS, AND CHILDREN, OFTEN MUST BOIL WATER, BUY BOTTLED WATER, ORHAVE WATER DELIVERED TO THEM WHEN THE EXISTING WATER SYSTEMS ROUTINELY FAIL.FUNDING WILL BE USED FOR THE PLANNING AND DESIGN PHASE OF A NEW PROJECT THAT ULTIMATELY WILLINCLUDE THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE THAT INTERCONNECTS WITHAN EXISTING PROJECT CURRENTLY IN DESIGN PHASE. WHEN COMPLETED, THIS ENTIRE SYSTEM WILLPROVIDE A RELIABLE SUPPLY OF CLEAN AND SAFE DRINKING WATER TO ALL THE RESIDENTIAL HOUSEHOLDS OFTRIBAL MEMBERS IN THE UPRIVER PORTION OF THE YUROK RESERVATION.THE YUROK TRIBE RECEIVED A $12 MILLION GRANT TWO YEARS AGO FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATEDEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE FIRST SECTION OF THE WATER DELIVERYINTERCONNECTION SYSTEM, CONNECTING TWO SYSTEMS THE KENEK AND THE KEPEL SYSTEMS --ALONG A ROUTE THAT RUNS ROUGHLY ALONG THE KLAMATH RIVER FROM WAUTEC TO WEITCHPEC, A TOTALDISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 21 MILES. THE PROJECT REQUESTED UNDER RECLAMATIONS TRIBALDOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM IS TO PLAN AND DESIGN TWO ADDITIONAL SECTIONS ALONG THISKLAMATH RIVER ROUTE, EXTENDING THE WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM FROM THE CURRENT KENEK SYSTEM(AT TULLEY CREEK) EAST TO THE WEITCHPEC SYSTEM WHERE HWY 169 MEETS MARTINS FERRY BRIDGE THIS SECTION IS 3.75 MILES LONG AND, ADDITIONALLY, FROM THE KEPEL SYSTEM WEST TOWAUTEC ( 8.75 MILES).THE PROPOSAL DESCRIBED A CRITICAL NEED AND A REASONABLE APPROACH TO PLANNING AND DESIGNTASKS AND ALIGNS WELL (BUT DOES NOT OVERLAP) WITH THE EFFORTS FUNDED BY THE STATE OFCALIFORNIAS DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES.

Yurok Tribe

15.574 - Water Storage Enhancement

USBR California-Great Basin Region, Sacramento CA (MP) [DOI - USBR]

California United States

State-Wide

R-R-DO-25-019