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EPA approves Hualapai Tribe's application to administer Clean Water Act programs

Release Date: 7/29/2004
Contact Information: Wendy L. Chavez, 415-947-4248, [email protected]

Tribe is 24th in nation to have authority

SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced its approval of the Hualapai Tribe's application to administer Clean Water Act programs.

The tribe will work with the EPA on a government-to-government basis to develop and adopt water quality standards which, once approved, will form the basis for water quality-based effluent limitations and other requirements for discharges to waters within the tribe's jurisdiction.

The tribe is also authorized to grant or deny certification for federally permitted or licensed activities that may affect waters that lie within the exterior borders of the Hualapai Reservation.

"We are pleased to celebrate this achievement with the Hualapai Tribe. We'll continue to work together to protect and restore water quality," said Wayne Nastri, the regional administrator for the EPA 's Pacific Southwest region.

Under Clean Water Act requirements, the tribe must be federally recognized, have a governing body to carry out substantial governmental duties and powers, have jurisdiction to administer the programs within the boundaries of its reservation, and be reasonably capable of administering the program.

The Hualapai Tribe encompasses approximately 993,000 acres and is bounded on the north by the Colorado River and borders the lower end of the Grand Canyon. The EPA= s approval does not include the Colorado River. The other boundaries of the reservation form a U-shape containing mountains, valleys and canyons.