A pandemic-era program that helped low-income people keep up with their water and sewer bills is running out of funding.
This comes as a federal report shows rural and tribal households have long struggled to keep their taps on.
Congress’ water utility assistance program supported over 8,000 Montana households and ran out of money last year. A separate pool of water assistance funding for tribes is close to running dry, too.
A federal report found tribal families are more likely to be in debt to their water utilities and owe more money. It also found that rural households experience higher disconnection rates for non-payment.
Patricia Courchane with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes said the water-assistance program was a lifeline for those families, but adds that it’s also helped households on well water.
“You have bacteria or something like that in your water and you aren’t able to drink it, you can get a bottled water system put into your home through this program,” Courchane said.
Courchane said the tribes have about a quarter of the roughly $600,000 they received left. She said families could struggle to afford clean drinking water once that funding runs out.
