Case Studies in Tribal Water Quality Standards Programs
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community
Introduction
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community (Mole Lake
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) regards
water as sacred and considers it "...an integral and
sacred part of the Sokaogon people's survival, iden-
tity, and culture. Water is the life-supporting blood of
Mother Earth that human beings share in common
with all living things." The Tribe decided to assume
greater responsibility and control of the present and
future conditions of its water resources and applied
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
administer its own water quality standards program. EPA approved the Tribe's application in
1995 and approved the Tribe's water quality standards in 1996.
July 2006
EPA-823-R-06-005
Tribal Background
In 1938, the federal government purchased 1,745 acres in northern Wisconsin for the Sokaogon Chippewa Commu-
nity. Approximately 400 people, mostly tribal members, live on the reservation. The three lakes on or adjacent to the
reservation are Rice Lake, Bishop Lake, and Mole Lake. Rice Lake, located in the center of the reservation, is a shallow
marshy lake with depths that average only one to two feet. Each autumn, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community en-
gages in the sacred tradition of harvesting and processing green wild rice seeds from Rice Lake. The wild rice on Rice
Lake grows naturally and is processed in the traditional Indian way that dates back centuries. In addition to consuming
the rice and using the rice as a spiritual gift in ceremonies, the Tribe also sells some of its crop.
The Tribe's Environmental Department has a staff of seven and a budget of about $250,000. The Environmental De-
partment is responsible for the reservation's water quality standards, water quality and quantity monitoring, biological
monitoring, drinking water, and waste removal programs. The Tribe is working on a water quality monitoring project.
Physical (e.g., stream flow, stream stage), chemical (e.g., metals, nutrients, general water quality measurements), and
biological (e.g., aquatic invertebrates, algae, wild rice density) data collected over several years will provide an assess-
ment of water quality conditions and may also be used to update the Tribe's water quality standards.
Water Quality Standards
Wisconsin
• Rhinelander
Sokaogon Chippewa
Indian Reservation Lands
The Tribe's Environmental Department engaged the larger tribal community to
discuss the benefits and obligations associated with developing and administer-
ing a water quality standards program under the Clean Water Act. There were
two important factors that motivated the Sokaogon Chippewa Community to
develop EPA-approved water quality standards. First, the Tribe acknowledged
the importance of its lakes and rivers to its traditions and way of life. Second,
the Sokaogon Chippewa Community recognized reservation waters were of
high quality and wanted to maintain them.
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community made a unique decision to classify all of
its water bodies as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW). ONRW is the
highest level of antidegradation protection available under regulations for the
water quality standards program and offers protection to waters of "exceptional recreational or ecological signifi-
cance." EPA regulations state that there can be no new or increased discharges to ONRWs and no new or increased
discharges to tributaries to ONRWs that would lower the water quality in the ONRWs, except on a temporary basis.
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Successful Application
The ONRW classification is important to the Tribe because it limits activities upstream from the reservation that may
degrade the quality of reservation waters. For almost thirty years, several mining companies tried to begin min-
ing activities at a property proposed for "Crandon Mine," which is located one mile upstream of the Sokaogon
Chippewa Community Reservation. In reviewing environmental impact reports, the Tribe contended that use of
cyanide in ore processing, acid mine drainage, soil erosion, and groundwater drawdown would adversely affect
the quality of its waters. The ONRW classification of Rice Lake contained in the Tribe's water quality standards pro-
vides a legal basis for preventing activities such as discharging mining wastewater to any of the lake's tributaries if
those discharges would adversely affect Rice Lake. In 2003, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community with assistance
of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe purchased the mining company including over 5,800 acres of land. To
protect Rice Lake and other water resources, the Sokaogon Chippewa subsequently withdrew all mining permit
applications to protect Rice Lake and other water resources.
The ONRW classification has also affected activities on the reservation. For example, the Tribe recently construct-
ed a service station and remodeled an existing gaming facility on its reservation. As a result of the ONRW classifi-
cation, the design plans for both facilities were modified to include environmental controls to prevent runoff from
the sites. Although these measures added to the construction costs, the Tribe is willing to accept such expenses to
protect its waters.
Tribal water quality standards approved by EPA, including the Sokoagon Chippewa, can be viewed at:
http://www.epa.aov/waterscience/standards/waslibrarv/tribes.html
Tribal Recommendations
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community's environmental staff strongly
recommends that tribes considering developing water quality stan-
dards:
• obtain EPA approval of water quality standards to give regula-
tory strength to environmental controls
• maintain close contact with state and EPA regional offices
throughout the process
• understand the impact of water quality standards decisions
both on and off the reservation
• ensure that the tribal administration is committed to protecting
water quality fully, including any additional costs involved
For Further Information, Contact:
Tina Van Zile or Roman Ferdinand
Environmental Department
Sokaogon Chippewa Community
3051 Sand Lake Road
Crandon, Wl 54520
Phone:715-478-7605
Website: www.sakoaaonchiDDewa.com
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