Biden administration proposes water quality standard for tribes

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed baseline water quality standards for tribal waters, which the agency said would protect more than 500,000 people who live on reservations. 

According to the agency, most tribes with reservations don’t currently have water quality standards, and the proposal would put these waters in line with others that are regulated by the federal government. 

The standards, which would extend to 76,000 miles of rivers and streams and 1.9 million acres of lakes, reservoirs and other surface waters, set maximum pollution levels for the bodies of water.

These types of standards are separate from regulations for drinking water, but they can prevent pollution in areas where people fish and swim.

“What we’re trying to do with this rule proposal is to create a more unified approach across the country,” Radhika Fox, the EPA’s top water official, told The Hill in an interview. 

“It is really just another example of the Biden-Harris commitment to ensuring that all communities have clean, safe water,” she added.