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EPA Actions on Tribal Water Quality Standards and Contacts

The following chart lists EPA approvals for tribes to administer a water quality standards (WQS) program, and EPA’s approvals of those tribes’ WQS. A tribe may administer a WQS program if it applies and EPA finds that it qualifies under Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act to be treated in a manner similar to a state (“TAS”). Currently, 70 tribes have been found eligible to administer a WQS program, and EPA has approved WQS for 45 of these tribes. EPA has promulgated federal WQS for 1 tribe (Colville Reservation) listed in the chart but not included in the above total for approved WQS.  Under EPA’s regulations, tribes that have been approved to administer WQS are automatically approved to administer certifications under Clean Water Act section 401, although a few such tribes may have chosen not to exercise that authority.

EPA Approvals of Tribal Water Quality Standards
Tribe EPA Region EPA Contact Date Found Eligible to Administer a WQS Program (TAS)
[yyyy-mm-dd]
Date Initial WQS Approved by EPA
[yyyy-mm-dd]
Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation (MT) 8 George Parrish 1996-08-29 2000-04-25
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (WI) 5 Kathleen Mayo, David Pfeifer 2009-06-26 2011-09-21
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley (CA) 9 Terry Fleming 2005-10-24 2006-01-24
Blackfeet Tribe (MT) 8 George Parrish 2012-05-02  
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians (CA) 9 Danielle Angeles 2020-04-13  
Coeur D’Alene Tribe (ID) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2005-08-05 2014-06-12
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation (MT) 8 George Parrish 1995-03-01 1996-03-18
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (OR) 10 Maja Eberhardt Application under review; notice issued 2020-09-15*  
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 1995-03-07 1997-02-03
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2018-05-02 1989-07-06 (federally promulgated standards)
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation (NV, UT) 9 Danielle Angeles 2019-05-23  
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation (OR) 10 Maja Eberhardt 1999-05-25 2001-09-28
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (OR) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2001-04-30 2001-10-18
Cortina Indian Rancheria (CA) 9 Terry Fleming 2016-04-07  
Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians (CA) 9 Terry Fleming

2011-10-17

2015-4-30 [Supplemental Application]

 
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (NC) 4 Eve Zimmerman 2015-01-26 2019-03-28
Fond du Lac Band of Minnesota Chippewa (MN) 5 Kathleen Mayo, David Pfeifer 1996-05-16 2001-12-27
Gila River Indian Community (AZ) 9 Danielle Angeles 2018-10-30  
Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa (MN) 5 Kathleen Mayo, David Pfeifer 1996-07-16 2005-11-02
Havasupai Tribe (AZ) 9 Terry Fleming 2011-04-26  
Hoopa Valley Tribe 9 Terry Fleming 1996-05-17 2002-09-11
Hopi Tribe (AZ) 9 Terry Fleming 2008-04-23 2008-07-08
Hualapai Indian Tribe (AZ) 9 Terry Fleming 2004-07-22 2004-09-17
Kalispel Tribe of Indians (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2002-11-04 2004-06-24
Karuk Tribe (CA) 9 Danielle Angeles 2020-06-26  
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (MI) 5 David Horak 2020-04-21  
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (WI) 5 Kathleen Mayo, David Pfeifer 2008-04-08 2010-09-17
La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation (CA) 9 Danielle Angeles Application under review; notice issued 2020-05-08*  
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (MN) 5 David Horak Application under review; notice issued 2019-05-31*  
Lummi Tribe (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2007-03-05 2008-09-30
Makah Indian Tribe (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2003-12-23 2006-09-29
Miccosukee Tribe (FL) 4 Eve Zimmerman

1994-12-20

2001-3-15 [Supplemental Application]

2020-9-30 [Second Supplemental Application]

1999-05-25

2001-03-15 (Miccosukee Reserve Area)

Sokaogan Chippewa Community (formerly Mole Lake Band) (WI) 5 Kathleen Mayo, David Pfeifer 1995-09-29 1996-01-22
Morongo Band of Mission Indians 9 Danielle Angeles 2018-04-03  
Navajo Nation (AZ, NM, UT) 9 Matt Bolt

2006-01-20

2019-05-23 [Supplemental application]

2006-04-11
Northern Cheyenne (MT) 8 George Parrish 2006-08-11 2013-03-21
Ohkay Owingeh (NM) (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan) 6 Diane Evans 1993-05-12 1993-09-16
Bishop Paiute Tribe (CA) 9 Terry Fleming 2006-04-11 2008-08-15
Pala Band of Mission Indians (CA) 9 Terry Fleming 2016-04-19  
Pawnee Nation (OK) 6 Diane Evans 2004-11-04  
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2003-09-24 2005-09-27
Pueblo of Acoma (NM) 6 Diane Evans 2001-04-17 2001-04-17
Pueblo of Isleta (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1992-10-13 1992-12-24
Pueblo of Laguna (NM) 6 Diane Evans 2016-12-20 2017-07-19
Pueblo of Nambe (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1995-08-18 1995-08-18
Pueblo of Picuris (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1995-08-07 1995-08-07
Pueblo of Pojoaque (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1996-03-21 1996-03-21
Pueblo of Sandia (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1992-12-24 1993-08-10
Pueblo of Santa Ana (NM) 6 Diane Evans 2015-07-20 2015-08-31
Pueblo of Santa Clara (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1995-07-19 1995-07-19
Pueblo of Taos (NM) 6 Diane Evans 2005-12-08 2006-06-19
Pueblo of Tesuque (NM) 6 Diane Evans 1997-04-29 1997-04-29
Puyallup Tribe (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 1994-05-25 1994-10-31
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (NV) 9 Terry Fleming 2007-01-30 2008-12-19
Quartz Valley Indian Community (CA) 9 Loretta Vanegas 2020-02-13  
Quinault Indian Nation (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2018-09-20  
Rincon Band of Luiseño Mission Indians (CA) 9 Danielle Angeles 2018-04-03  
Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (Meskwaki) (IA) 7 Ann Lavaty 2019-08-13  
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (NY) 2 Brent Gaylord 2002-10-16 2007-09-14
San Carlos Apache Tribe (AZ) 9 Danielle Angeles 2020-04-13  
Seminole Tribe (FL) 4 Eve Zimmerman 1994-06-01 1997-09-26 (Big Cypress Reservation)
1998-11-18 (Brighton Reservation)
Seneca Nation of Indians (NY) 2 Brent Gaylord Application under review; notice issued 2018-11-08*  
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation (ID) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2008-09-05  
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation (NV) 9 Danielle Angeles 2020-06-17  
Southern Ute Indian Tribe (CO) 8 George Parrish 2018-03-28  
Spokane Tribe (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2002-07-23 2003-04-22
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 2008-04-18 2017-08-25
Table Mountain Rancheria (CA) 9 Loretta Vanegas 2020-12-04  
Tulalip Tribes (WA) 10 Maja Eberhardt 1996-05-09  
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians (CA) 9 Terry Fleming 2006-10-26 2015-08-20
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (CO) 8 George Parrish 2005-09-26 2011-10-19
Walker River Paiute Tribe (NV) 9 Terry Fleming 2016-02-29  
White Mountain Apache Tribe (AZ) 9 Terry Fleming 1997-02-03 2001-09-27
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska 7 Ann Lavaty Application under review; notice issued 2019-11-19*  
Yerington Paiute Tribe  (NV) 9 Loretta Vanegas 2020-02-13  

*EPA provides notice to appropriate governmental entities and the local public when a tribal application for TAS is ready for review. The notice generally provides 30 days to receive comments on the tribe’s assertion of authority.

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