EPA OKs Standards for Paiute-Shoshone Indians
On Aug. 15, the U.S. Enviornmental Protection Agency approved water quality standards for the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community located in California, near the city of Bishop.
EPA's action culminates a two-step process that began with the agency's finding that the Tribe was eligible to be treated in the same manner as a state for administering a water quality standards program. The second step -- approval of the Tribe's water quality standards -- ensures that all surface waters within the exterior boundaries of the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community are covered by standards under Section 303 (c) of the Clean Water Act, including designated uses and water quality criteria. The Tribe's standards can now form the basis for federally-enforceable regulatory requirements.
EPA provides technical assistance to tribes to develop and implement water quality standards and to manage other water quality programs. Including the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community, there are now 34 tribes across the United States with water quality standards effective under the Clean Water Act.