Protecting and improving water quality on tribal lands is an
important goal for many tribes. One critical tool available to
tribes is a tribal water quality standards (WQS) program. WQS
programs allow tribes to directly regulate projects on tribal land
that impact water quality and just as importantly, take proactive
steps to protect against water quality impacts from proposed
activities outside the tribe's jurisdiction, including dams,
mines, power plants, wastewater treatment plants and other
projects.
Adopting a WQS program generally involves two steps. First, a tribe
obtains authorization from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to administer the WQS program. To receive authorization, a
tribe must show that (a) it is federally recognized, (b) has an
appropriate governing body, (c) has authority to regulate the
quality of reservation waters, and (d) has the technical capability
to administer the WQS program, or can acquire such capability. The
second
