&EPA
Case Studies in Tribal Water Quality Standards Programs
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
The Hoo
ley Tribe
July 2006
EPA-823-R-06-004
Introduction
The Hoopa Valley Tribe has lived in its valley for over
10,000 years and has always depended on the mi-
gration and spawning runs of steelhead trout, and
chinook and coho salmon in the Trinity River for a
large portion of its diet. The Trinity River is also where
the Hoopa hold their ceremonial Boat Dance and
immerse themselves after using sweat houses built
next to the river. In 2001, the Hoopa adopted En-
vironmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality
standards to protect these and other uses of their
waters.
Tribal Background
The Hoopa Valley Reservation, located in Northern California, covers 144 square miles of montane forest ranging
in elevation from 320 to 5,000 feet. The Trinity River flows north through the center of the reservation to the Klamath
River, which flows northwesterly near the northern border of the Hoopa Valley Reservation. Almost 3,000 people live
within the reservation boundary, including approximately 2,500 tribal members. Selective cutting and selling of timber,
primarily Douglas Fir, is the Tribe's primary source of revenue. Unfortunately, timber harvesting often results in soil runoff
and is one of the main causes of stream impairment within the reservation.
The Tribal Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) is the Hoopa Valley Tribe's governmental unit that administers envi-
ronmental protection programs on the reservation. TEPA is responsible for monitoring and managing the reservation's
surface waters and air quality. EPA approved the Hoopa's application to administer the water quality standards pro-
gram in 1990. TEPA developed the Tribe's water quality standards, which provide the foundation for the Tribe's man-
agement of its surface waters. These standards are contained in the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation Water Quality
Control Plan and were approved by EPA in 2002.
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Water Quality Standards
The Hoopa's water quality standards establish 16 different designated uses for
their water bodies including ceremonial and cultural water use, fish spawn-
ing, and water contact recreation. The Tribes's designations for the Trinity
River include ceremonial and cultural use. Every other year, the Hoopa hold
a 10-day ceremony that includes a Boat Dance on the Trinity River. The Boat
Dance usually occurs in late August, a time when the river typically experi-
ences low flow. To ensure that there is enough water for the Boat Dance,
the Hoopa contact the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to release water from an
upstream reservoir a few days before the ceremony.
The Hoopa's water quality standards also contain water quality criteria to protect the designated uses of the reserva-
tion's surface waters. Two of these criteria, temperature and turbidity, are key to the Tribe's efforts to maintain and
restore the natural populations of migratory salmon and steelhead. The Trinity and Klamath Rivers experienced an
extensive fish kill in September 2002. The fish kill was caused by bacterial and protozoic pathogens, which overtake
salmon and other coldwater fish when low flows result in fish overcrowding and high water temperatures. Increased
water temperatures are closely associated with low flow conditions and flow conditions are directly related to the
release of water from upstream dams. Consequently, the Tribe's temperature criteria are based on temperature-
flow relationships and are designed to protect the holding and spawning of adult salmon in the Trinity River and its
tributaries.
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The Tribe's turbidity criteria are intended to protect its waters from the adverse effects of logging, the main industry
on the reservation. Logging can result in soil runoff, which increases the water's turbidity, a measure of the solid
material suspended in water. High turbidity can affect the reproduction, growth and health of salmon and other
aquatic life. TEPA maintains good communication with the loggers to ensure appropriate environmental controls
are in place to protect fish populations in all stages of life.
Successful Application
The Hoopa engage in a variety of activities to implement their water
quality standards and ensure their waters are protected. These
activities include water quality monitoring, partnerships, and regular
reviews of their water quality standards.
TEPA staff routinely monitor the Trinity River and its tributaries for
chemical (e.g., dissolved oxygen), physical (e.g., temperature) and
biological (e.g., aquatic invertebrates) parameters. The monitoring
program is designed to ensure compliance with the Tribe's water
quality standards, assess trends in conditions over time, and evaluate
the effectiveness of pollution control efforts. TEPA's monitoring efforts
include 50 temperature probes throughout the watershed and 13
locations where Continuous Data Recorders continually monitor up
to 20 parameters including temperature and turbidity.
The Hoopa maintain cooperative relationships with the State of California, EPA, and their neighboring tribes - the
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation, the Karuk Tribe of California, the Resighini Rancheria, and the Quartz Valley
Indian Community of the Quartz Reservation. All these groups have vested interests in the use and protection of
shared water resources and frequently communicate regarding water quality management issues.
EPA's water quality standards regulation requires states and authorized tribes to review their water quality stan-
dards at least once every three years and revise them, if necessary. TEPA is beginning the triennial review of the
Hoopa's water quality standards and plans to refine aspects of the current water quality criteria. In an effort to
protect young salmon, the Tribe plans to adopt specific turbidity criteria for the seven major tributaries to the Trinity
River during its triennial review. The Trinity River is a very important resource for the Hoopa and they are committed
to protecting it. As one tribal member stated, "The Trinity is the lifeblood of the Hoopa."
Tribal water quality standards approved by EPA, including the Hoopa, can be viewed at:
htto://www.eDa.aov/waterscience/standards/wasHbrarv/tribes.html
For Further Information, Contact:
Ken Norton
Hoopa Valley Tribal EPA
P.O. Box 1348 (Site 1, Cannery)
Hoopa, CA 95546
phone: 530-625-55/5 exf 303
e-mail: kentepa@pcweb.net
TEPA website: http://www.hooDa-nsn.gov/deDartments/teDa/teDa.htm
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