YAKIMA, Wash.-The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation have received $2 million in funding to clean up a stretch of the Yakima River.
The funding is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 and will be used to remove waste from a 12-mile stretch of the Yakima River within the Yakama Reservation.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Yakama Nation will plan, remove and dispose of garbage and waste from the river to improve community health.
“Since Time Immemorial, Yakama oral traditions teach us that the “choosh” (water) is the blood of our Mother, the Land,” said Davis Washines / Yellowash.
As part of its cleanup efforts the Yakama Nation will also develop an outreach and education plan to build community support for environmental improvements, according to the EPA.
