Congressman Horsford Announces $5.2 Million for Walker River Paiute Tribe Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Steven Horsford announced a $5.2 million grant from U.S Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration for the Walker River Paiute Tribe in Schurz, Nevada. The funding will be used to boost business development and job growth in the region by improving the local water system infrastructure. The grant is made possible by the Indigenous Communities program in the American Rescue Plan that Horsford voted for last year.

"When I recently visited Schurz and met with Chairman Torres and other tribal leaders, one of their principal concerns was their infrastructure. While we have much more work to do, this investment will go a long way towards improving the water infrastructure and allowing economic development in their community, and spurring residential growth," said Congressman Horsford. "I voted for the American Rescue Plan because of programs like the Indigenous Communities programs and others like it that are targeting investments in the local communities hardest hit by the pandemic."

"The Walker River Paiute Tribe, like many Indian Nations across the country, was negatively affected by the pandemic. Our community continues to work to recover and finds ways to come out stronger and more resilient. The Economic Development Administration’s $5.2 million dollar investment in the Tribe’s Water System Improvement project is an important step in the Tribe’s recovery. With the American Rescue Plan’s Indigenous Communities funding secured in part by Congressman Horsford and Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen, the Tribe will be able to ensure clean drinking water is readily available to the community, expand capacity to add new homes, improve fire flow throughout the system and bring much needed employment opportunities to the region. Thanks to the vision of the tribal council and hard work from our dedicated staff we now have project that will positively affect our members for generations to come," said Walker River Paiute Tribe Chairman Amber Torres.

“President Biden is committed to supporting Tribal communities in their recovery from the coronavirus pandemic,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will provide more secure water system infrastructure to the Walker River Indian Reservation, improving economic resilience and creating the potential for business growth and expansion.”

“Tribal communities were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment will support the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s efforts to provide a favorable operating environment for local business, improving economic opportunity in the community.”

This project will support replacement and expansion of four water mains and installation of 45 fire hydrants, resolving water system capacity constraints that limit commercial development. This EDA investment will be matched with $156,674 in local funds and is expected to create or retain 25 jobs, according to grantee estimates.

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