PACIFIC NORTHWEST INDIAN TRIBAL EXAMPLES OF HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO WATER QUALITY ISSUES

Indian Tribes in Washington State have lived in harmony with their environment for thousands of years. Water quality has been a vital issue for the tribes to maintain their drinking water supply, subsistence salmon and shellfish fisheries, and wetland plants. Rapid development has posed serious threats to water quality and therefore to the resources of the twenty-nine tribes in Washington. Tribes have hired geologists, hydrogeologists, fisheries biologists, wetland specialists, foresters, environmental planners and GIS managers to provide guidance on water quality protection and management. The financial limitations of hiring technical staff, particularly for smaller tribes, have been reasonably controlled through efforts of the Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program. The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission manages this program to provide better intertribal coordination and collaboration on water quality issues.

The Suquamish Tribe and the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe have reservations in the fastest developing area of the State of Washington. These two tribes provide good examples of holistic approaches to addressing the water quality issues of monitoring and protecting streams, wetlands, shellfish beaches, salmon habitat, and drinking water supply in a pro-active manner. They also provide examples of applying a holistic approach to addressing such environmental pollution issues as leaking landfills and Superfund sites.

Specific types of activities have included the integration of geological and GIS computer programs to map aquifer systems and wellhead protection areas; GPS and GIS linkages to map streams and delineate wetlands; establishment of wetland and stream monitoring networks for water quality sampling; and coordination of geological, biological and GIS tools to conduct watershed analysis for salmon habitat protection and recovery; and regional participation on technical advisory committees to protect or correct water quality concerns. Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes have continued their traditional harmonious existence with their environment, through the use of interdisciplinary technical staff to meet modern environmental challenges in a holistic manner.