The Spokane Tribe of Washington has set water quality standards that are stricter than the state's.

The tribe's PCB standard is 1.3 parts per quadrillion, while the state's is 170 parts per quadrillion. The higher standard could force off-reservation entities to take greater care of discharges into the Spokane River.

“We know this isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight,” Brian Crossley, the tribe’s water and fish program manager, told The Spokesman Review.

The tribe set a high standard to ensure that fish from the river can be consumed safely. Historically, tribal members consumed up to two pounds of fish daily.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are known to cause cancer. Production has been banned in the U.S. since 1979.

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Spokane Tribe adopts strict water quality standards (The Spokesman Review 1/7)