Clean Water Act §106 Water Pollution Control Program
Monitoring Strategy Requirement (FY 2008)
Collecting samples at a site with Owens Valley Indian Water Commission.
Components of a Monitoring Strategy:
A monitoring strategy is an implementation plan that
describes how a monitoring program will serve tribal
water quality management needs and address tribal
waters over time. It should be comprehensive in
scope and identify the issues and needs that are
currently impediments to an adequate monitoring
program.
Understanding existing water quality is a key step in
protecting and improving the waters within the tribal
boundaries. Developing a comprehensive Monitoring
Strategy helps tribes understand existing water
quality conditions. Monitoring Strategies should vary
among tribes due to the varying tribal program goals
and objectives, the level of CWA §106program
sophistication, and the resources available to the
grant recipient. A Monitoring Strategy does not need
to be submitted annually, just updated as needed by
the grantee.
•	Monitoring Objectives: The grant recipient should use existing information about the water bodies within tribal
boundaries to determine how they will implement their monitoring program. This should be a narrative describing the
major goal(s) and measurable objectives of the monitoring program This may include identifying water quality problem
areas, tracking trends over time, identifying Non Point Source impacts, and identifying problem areas needing protection.
•	Monitoring Design: Establishes the frequency of monitoring, the water bodies that will be monitored, the locations that
will be monitored within the water body, the parameters/water quality indicators that will be sampled, and how the
information will be used or displayed to answer the grant recipient's monitoring objectives.
•	Core Water Quality Indicators (W QI): The strategy should define the core set of WQl/parameters that will be
monitored within the program. It is expected that tribal programs monitor for the nine required parameters
(temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, pathogen indicators, macroinvertebrates,
and basic habitat information) based on the relevancy to their water quality program
•	Quality Assurance: A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) must be developed and approved by EPA to ensure the
validity of monitoring and laboratory activities. The QAPP should reflect the level of quality that is appropriate for the
specific uses of the data.
•	Data Management: The strategy should describe how the grant recipient will store data in an electronic data system that
can be used to manage tribal data and is in a format that will allow data sharing with EPA. Data collected on the required
parameters and metadata should be managed electronically.
•	Data Analysis and Assessment: The strategy should describe the grant recipient's assessment methodology - how data
collected will be compiled and analyzed to make assessment decisions. Assessments should address whether water
quality is meeting established goals and objectives.
•	Reporting: The strategy should describe the tribal water program's procedures and protocol for preparing and
submitting its annual tribal assessment report, which includes a description of the monitoring strategy, a water quality
assessment, and electronic copies of the data collected. Any other reporting requirements (quarterly reports, pic ture
documentation, etc.) should be described as well.
•	Programmatic Evaluation and Needs Planning: The strategy should describe the process for conducting regular reviews
of the tribal water quality monitoring program with the Regional EPA office. These reviews will help determine how well
the program is serving water quality decision needs. The tribe should also identify any current and future monitoring
resources needed to fully implement a comprehensive program

-------
Monitoring Site at Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Available Resources to use while developing a Monitoring Strategy:
•	The Grant Recipient's Approved Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP): Much of the information required
for the completion of an effective Monitoring Strategy should be found within the tribe's approved QAPP. It would be
beneficial to look for the required components within the tribe's QAPP to reduce time spent on creating an entirely new
and separate document to complete this reporting requirement. It should be noted that both a QAPP and a Monitoring
Strategy are liquid documents - meaning that they should be reviewed and changed if necessary depending on the
constantly developing water quality program.
•	Final Guidance on Awards of Grants to Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the Clean Water Act:
o Appendix A: Includes an suggested format for developing a Monitoring Strategy divided into Fundamental,
Intermediate, and Mature programs, along with descriptions of each required component,
o Chapter 4: Includes more detailed information regarding monitoring objectives, monitoring design, the
required WQI/parameters, data analysis and data assessment,
o Chapter 8: Describes EPA's reporting requirements in detail for the awards of CWA Section 106 grants to
Indian Tribes.
EPA Region 9 Office / CWA §106 Assigned Project Officer
Water Division Tribal Contacts
Danielle Angeles Tiffany Eastman* Jenee Gavette	Janis Gomes	AudreyL Johnson
(415) 972-3441 (415) 972-3404 (415) 972-3439 (415) 972-3517	(415) 972-3431
VijayLimaye	Wendell Smith Loretta Vanegas Stephanie Wilson
(415) 972-3442 (415) 972-3421 (415) 972-3433 (775) 885-6190
Kristin Gullatt, Manager	Our email follows this convention: lastname.firstname@epa.gov
(415)972-3432
*To contact this person, you must dial 711 for an operator to assist you with your call.

-------