E.P.A. Approves Revisions to Pueblo of Pojoaque Water Quality Requirements

DALLAS - (Dec. 16, 2015) The E.P.A. (EPA) approved revisions to the Pueblo of Pojoaque's water quality standards. The Clean Water Act revisions included revised aquatic life criteria and updates to technical references. The Pueblo, located in New Mexico, protects public health and aquatic life for the area that includes the Rio Pojoaque, Rio Tesuque, and Rio Nambe water bodies.

"The Pueblo of Pojoaque is preserving ecosystems that are essential to tribal lands," said E.P.A. Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "The Pueblo's leadership will strengthen its ability to restore and maintain its water resources."

Under the Clean Water Act, a tribe must be federally recognized, have a governing body, jurisdiction and capability in order to administer a water quality requirements program. In 1996, E.P.A. approved the Pueblo's application to administer the water requirements plan and approved the water quality standards. In Sept. 2015, the Pueblo held a public hearing on its suggested revisions to the requirements and notified neighboring tribes, state agencies, federal agencies and local authorities of the opportunity to review on the suggested standards.

The goal of the Clean Water Act includes restoring and protecting the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's waters. Water quality requirements established under the Clean Water Act set the tribe's expectations for reservation water quality. These requirements also serve as water quality goals for individual surface waters, guide and inform monitoring and assessment activities, and provide a legal basis for permitting and regulatory pollution controls.

For information on federally approved water quality requirements adopted by Indian tribes and states, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/wqs-tech

On November 8, 1984, the E.P.A. issued its Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations. In doing so, the E.P.A. became the 1st federal agency to adopt a formal Indian policy to guide its relations with tribal governments in the administration of its programs.

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Activities in E.P.A. Region 6: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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