Hopi Tribe to improve water quality at Cultural Center following EPA administrative order

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued an administrative order that will see the Hopi Tribe reduce levels of arsenic in the drinking water at the Hopi Cultural Center and reach compliance with federal standards in two months.

 

Arsenic can be found in drinking water throughout the United States — it is a naturally occurring mineral — and is a carcinogen that has inhibits individuals' abilities to ward off diseases like cancer. Over an extended period of time, exposure to high levels of arsenic through drinking water can increase probabilities of heart disease, diabetes, neurological damage and lung, bladder and skin cancer.

The Hopi Cultural Center, which is a public drinking water system that provides water for approximately 25 people, has levels of arsenic above the federal arsenic standard established in the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

Following the EPA’s administrative order, the Tribe will develop a schedule to bring its drinking water into compliance within two months, and install treatment technology within six months. The Tribe will carry out more extensive arsenic sampling going forward, the results of which will be submitted to the EPA and comply with public notification requirements.

In the interim period while the Tribe brings the center’s water into compliance, it will provide bottled water for guests.