L’Anse, Michigan

Hydros is assisting the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) with development of water-quality standards.  KBIC has been granted Treatment as a State (TAS) status for Water Quality under Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  TAS permits KBIC to administer a water-quality standards (WQS) program for the L’Anse Indian Reservation under Section 303 of the CWA.  Hydros staff have assisted KBIC in drafting tribal WQS.  Because the L’Anse Indian Reservation is within the Great Lakes basin, standards must comply with federal water-quality regulations for the Great Lakes system as well as national guidance.  In addition, KBIC’s standards were tailored to unique aspects of the local community and ecosystems.  KBIC members have relied on subsistence and commercial fishing for generations, and the assumptions typically made regarding fish consumption rates when calculating standards for the protection of human health were therefore not adequate for tribal WQS.  Instead, results of a community survey were used to determine the appropriate rates.  Locally applicable nutrient standards were calculated using monitoring data from within the Reservation boundaries.  Draft WQS are currently under EPA review, after which Hydros will continue to assist with finalization.