CROW WATER QUALITY PROJECT, A COMMUNITY BASED PARTICIPATORY APPROACH FINDS ELEVATED URANIUM IN WELLS ON THE CROW INDIAN RESERVATION, BIG HORN COUNTY, MONTANA

Data from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Ground Water Information Center (GWIC) and USGS National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) database, show several wells with elevated U (uranium) and Pb (lead) in Big Horn County, Montana. Many wells on the reservation are in shallow Pleistocene deposits; most were not tested for uranium at the time the Indian Health Service had the wells drilled. On learning about the NURE data for the Crow Reservation and the occurrence of uranium in the geologic formations in the Pryor Mountains adjacent to the reservation, the Crow Water Quality Project decided to include uranium testing in its home well water testing. Residents from throughout the Reservation volunteered to have their well water tested for mineral and microbial contaminants, including uranium. Energy Laboratories, an EPA certified lab in Billings, Montana, conducted these tests. More than 2/3 of the local wells sampled by the Crow Water Quality Project tested positive for uranium, and about 8% of wells tested exceeded EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level of 30 μg/L. Most of the home wells tested to date do not have elevated lead (Pb); elevated lead in the data bases is mainly in the monitoring wells associated with coal mines in the south eastern part of Big Horn County. An explanation of test results and the health risks of elevated uranium are being provided to participating homeowners both in print and in person. The project is a community-based participatory research initiative of Little Big Horn College (the Tribal College for the Reservation), the Crow Tribe, the Apsaalooke [Crow] Water and Wastewater Authority, the local Indian Health Service Hospital and other local stakeholders, with support from academic partners at MSU Bozeman and the University of New England. Continued risk communication and risk mitigation with residents of the Crow Reservation are warranted.