Cherokee Nation releases biennial water-infrastructure report under Mankiller Safe Water Act

Principal Chief and Michael Lynn, of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure(Water and Sanitation), presented the department's biennial report on the law the meeting identified as Act 1521, commonly referred to during the presentation as the Mankiller Safe Water Act, and described results of a multi-year effort to assess and repair water and wastewater systems across the Cherokee Nation reservation.

The report said the council's annual appropriation of $2,000,000 under Act 1521 helped the department leverage roughly $6,000,000 in federal funds and other grant awards. "The $2,000,000 that the council allocates under this law every year goes to good work and makes a difference," the Principal Chief said, adding the chief supports increasing the annual allocation to $2,500,000, subject to appropriation.

Why it matters: the inventory and analysis aim to show where reservation residents lack safe, reliable public water or are served by aging systems so tribal leaders can prioritize repairs and seek outside funding. Michael Lynn told the committee the department has combined…