Three more tribes win EPA approval for water

Three more tribes have won Environmental Protection Agency approval to develop their own water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.

Approval of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin, the Swinomish Tribe of Washington and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona brings the total number of treatment as state approval to 43, Water World Online reports.

Congress amended the law to recognize tribal sovereignty and to treat tribes in the same manner as states. A 2005 rider blocks Oklahoma tribes from participating without the consent of the state.

Get the Story:
Three Tribes authorized to administer water quality standards program (Water World Online 5/6)