** CEUV Drinking Water Quality in Indian
Country: Protecting Your Sources
WHAT IS SOURCE WATER PROTECTION?
Source water protection is preventing the
pollution of the waters that serve as sources of
drinking water. One of the most basic needs of
any community is safe and clean drinking water.
Nearly 700,000 people rely on safe drinking water
provided by 750 community water systems,
which are owned by tribes. Many tribes have
seen treatment costs increase over the past 20
years and contaminant threats continue to increase
as old infrastructures, such as septic tanks,
underground gas tanks, and wastewater facilities,
deteriorate. In June 2007, ten percent of tribal
community water systems violated health-based
contaminant-related drinking water standards.
WHAT ARE THE THREATS?
Sometimes the source of drinking water
contamination is something commonly used and
not noticed because it may take years to reach the
water supply. For example, the Shoshone-
Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho
discovered high levels of a potentially
carcinogenic pesticide, ethylene dibromide, in
their ground water source during routine
monitoring. This contamination resulted even
In 2004, there were 1,074 leaks from
underground gasoline storage tanks in
Indian Country.
though applicators followed the manufacturer's
recommended use of the pesticide. It was so
extensive that the Tribe had to abandon the
existing production wells and construct new wells
outside the contamination area. Also, a multi-
million dollar water delivery system had to be
constructed to provide safe water to homes
located in the contamination zone that rely on
affected individual wells. Other threats are
discussed in this fact sheet.
WHAT ARE SOME SOLUTIONS?
Instead of fixes such as added chemical treatment,
and investment in new technologies after a
contamination event, protecting a water source
from contamination can be much more cost
effective. If harmful pathogens (i.e., virsuses and
bacteria) and chemicals are kept out of rivers,
lakes, or underground water supplies (aquifers)
that tribes use for drinking water, the risk to the
human population is lowered significantly. The
first barrier, source water protection, is not the
only barrier to waterborne contamination threats,
but it is an important first step that can save
money and reduce risks to human health.
ASSESSING THE SOURCE
A tribal water supply operator should assess
sources of drinking water and identify the
potential problems to help determine what actions
are needed to prevent contamination of the
?? DID YOU KNOW ??
• As of November 2007, nearly
two-thirds of all tribal
community water systems had
completed source water
assessments.
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sources. Protecting Drinking Water: A
Workbook for Tribes (Tribal Workbook) provides
step-by-step instructions on how to develop a
workplan and complete a source water
assessment. It supplies worksheets and tables for
copying and is available on line for downloading
in a compressed WordPerfect file at: www.water-
ed.org/doc.asp?=1061 or contact your EPA
regional office. The Tribal Workbook offers both
a simplified approach and a detailed approach to
completing assessments. EPA Regions are
familiar with the Tribal Workbook and use it in
conducting training and tribal assessments.
ASSESSMENT STEPS
MAP the Source Water Area
INVENTORY Potential
Contamination Sources
ANALYZE and Determine the
Susceptibility of the Water
Supply to Contamination
INFORM the Public
Step 1: Map the Source Water Area
The source water area is the land area that could
contribute pollutants to the drinking water supply.
For each tribal public water supply, a map of the
"zone of influence" is made. For water systems
that use a well, the source water area is the land
that lies over the part of the aquifer and the sub-
surface that supplies water to the well. For a
community that relies on a river, lake, or
reservoir, the source water area is the watershed
upstream of the drinking water intake. A
watershed is the land area where rain or snow
falls and flows over or through the ground to
eventually enter the stream or lake.
Step 2: Inventory Potential Contaminant
Sources For each source water area, the tribe
or responsible agency conducts an inventory of all
potential contaminant threats and identifies
potential sources of regulated contaminants listed
in the Safe Drinking Water Act and other
substances of concern to the tribe. Common
potential sources of contamination and other
substances of concern for tribes are cesspools,
underground fuel storage tanks, residential or
commercial septic systems, farms that apply
pesticides and fertilizers, roads and other paved
surfaces, and abandoned wells. EPA Regions
have materials to assist with inventories.
Step 3: Determine the Susceptibility of the
Water Supply to Contamination The next
step is to determine the likelihood that the
inventoried contaminants and their contamination
sources will impact the water supply. This helps
tribal decision makers, the water supply operator,
managers of potential contaminant sources (e.g,
gas station owners), and concerned tribal citizens
consider priority activities to undertake for
protecting the source water area. The Tribal
Workbook provides several susceptibility (or risk)
determination methods for tribes. EPA Regions
have examples of susceptibility determination
approaches to assist tribes.
CONTAMINANT RISKS
How close are these potential
contaminant sources to your water
supply?
Gas stations Abandoned wells
Septic tanks Field Crops
Sewer lines Chemical storage
Animal Feeding Operations
Management practices can be an
alternative to banning activities in source
water protection areas.
Step 4: Inform the Public:
The results of the assessments can help
communities better understand the potential
threats to their water supplies and identify priority
needs for protecting their source water from
contamination. The most important aspect of an
assessment is that it provides the basic
information needed to plan activities that will
lower the risk of contamination. This information
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can be shared in ways that maintain the security
of sensitive information.
INFORMING THE PUBLIC
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PROVIDE
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION TO THE
PUBLIC
• Post on community bulletin boards
• Write a newspaper article
• Use local radio programs
• Announce it at tribal meetings
• Include information in the water bill
• Work with schools to educate
children
Source water protection relies, in part,
on individual responsibility. Information
is critical to individual responsibility.
AFTER THE ASSESSMENT
Consider Source Water Protection
While source water protection is not the only
barrier to safeguard against waterborne
contaminant threats, it is an important first step
that can save money and decrease risks to human
health. Tribes have undertaken a wide array of
activities to prevent contamination of drinking
water supplies. Some examples include:
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin Well
Abandonment Ordinance
The Oneida Tribe developed an ordinance
requiring the proper abandonment, or upgrading,
of all unused wells within the reservation
boundaries. The Tribe believes that the proper
abandonment of wells protects public health,
safety, and welfare by assuring that wells that
may serve as pathways for contamination are
properly abandoned. With this ordinance in place,
the Tribe's drinking water source is less
vulnerable to contamination by substances that
could drain into improperly abandoned wells.
Regulatory approaches, such as restricting land
uses that may release contaminants in critical
source water areas, are sometimes the best
solution.
Hoopa Tribe Public Outreach Campaign
The Hoopa Tribe sponsored radio programs and
public service announcements about drinking
water issues and the need to prevent source water
contamination. They distributed fliers to inform
the community about its water supply, posted "No
Dumping" signs in the watershed, published
articles promoting source water protection, and
encouraged citizens and businesses to recycle
used oil, limit their use of pesticides, and
participate in watershed cleanup activities.
Sauk-Suiattle Tribe Source Water
Protection Actions
The Sauk-Suiattle Reservation was established on
15 acres in 1984. Overdevelopment on the
shallow aquifer supplying the public water supply
is an ongoing threat. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe
developed corrective actions as identified in its
Source Water Protection Plan (Plan). The Tribe
received a Rural Development grant from U.S.
Department of Agriculture and is working with
the Indian Health Service to drill a deeper well
into a confined aquifer. It is replacing, upgrading
and separating failing septic systems. The Plan
was effective in gaining cooperation with
landowners in the absence of regulatory
authority, as in reducing the number of cars from
100 to 10 in a private junkyard above the aquifer.
The Tribe is also reducing threats from gravel
mining, forestry practices, and pesticides in the
source water area.
La Posta Band of Mission Indians
The La Posta Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) completed source water assessments on
seven supply wells. Quarterly newsletters
included updates on a source water assessment
plan (SWAP), which inform the tribal community
about progress on each assessment step along the
way. La Posta EPA talked to elementary students
at schools about how ground water becomes
contaminated (directly and indirectly), and
prevention. La Posta also held workshops for the
community to inform the public of SWAP efforts
and ways to make sure a water supply meets
federal and local standards. La Posta EPA also
held Earth Day, an event at which the public was
educated on preventing pollution, and direct and
indirect groundwater contamination.
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RESOURCES FOR TRIBES
Final Guidance on Awards of Grants to
Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the
Clean Water Act is intended to help tribes
implement effective water quality programs using
Section 106 funds. Ground water programs are
eligible for these funds. The Guidance lists steps
for collecting information to make effective
decisions for water quality programs.
http://www.epa.gov/OWM.html/cwfinance/poll
utioncontrol.htm
A draft Ground Water Monitoring Abstracts
for Tribes is a bibliography a tribe can use for
collecting ground water information under
Section 106. It is available through EPA Regional
Source Water Coordinators.
The Source Water Collaborative, a group of
19 national organizations, works to advance
source water protection at all levels by promoting
land stewardship and smart decisions.
www. ProtectDrinkingWater. org
The Trust for Public Land has three
publications on source water protection available
for download or purchase from its website,
www.tpl.om. Protecting the Source explores
using land conservation ideas for drinking water
protection. Path to Protection presents ten
strategies for source water protection with case
studies. Source Protection Handbook identifies
source water protection tools to.
Protecting Drinking Water: A Workbook
for Tribes is used by tribes for source water
protection and may be downloaded from the
Water Education Foundation at:
www.water-ed.om/doc.asp?=1061 or contact
your EPA regional office.
For More Information
For more about tribal source water protection in
your region, contact your EPA Regional Office.
Information is also available at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/tribal.html
Or contact the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline:
1-800-426-4791.
Tribal Source Water Contacts
EPA Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, Rl, VT)
Ted Lavery, Main Unit (CME)
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617) 918-1683: lavery.ted@epa.gov
EPA Region II (NJ, NY, PR, USVI)
Gerard McKenna, Drinking Water Section
290 Broadway, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866
(212) 637-3838; mckenna.gerardtgiepa.gov
EPA Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN)
Robert Olive, Water Division
100 Alabama St., SW, 15th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
(404) 562-9423: olive.robert(@,epa.gov
EPA Region V (IL, IN, MN, Ml, OH, Wl)
Jan Bartlett, GWDW Branch
77 W. Jackson Boulevard (WG-15J)
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 886-5438: bartlett.janicetgiepa.gov
EPA Region VI (TX, AR, LA, OK, NM)
Ken Williams, Drinking Water Section (6WQ-SD)
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas,TX 75202-2733
(214) 665-7129; williams.ken@,epa.gov
EPA Region VII (IA, KS. MO, NE)
Stephanie Lindberg, Drinking Water Program
901 North 5th Street (WWPD/DRWM)
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 551-7423; lindberg.Stephanie(giepa.gov
EPA Region VIM (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)
Carol Russell, Ground Water/Source Water
1595 Wynkoop Street (8 EPR-EP)
Denver, Colorado 80202-1129
(303) 312-6310; russell.carol@epa.gov
EPA Region IX (AS, AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV)
Jamelya Curtis, Ground Water Office
75 Hawthorne (WTR-9)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 972-3529; curtis.jamelyatgiepa.gov
EPA Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA)
Chan Pongkhamsing, Ground Water Protection Unit
1200 Sixth Ave. (OWW-136)
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-1806; pongkhamsing.chati(@,epa.gov
Office of Water (4606M)
EPA816-F-08-021
May 2008
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