The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the Yurok Tribe Environmental Department’s application for Treatment as a State (TAS), giving the tribe authority to set and enforce water quality standards on the Yurok Reservation in northern California. The designation, based on a 1987 amendment to the Clean Water Act, allows the department to administer federal environmental laws including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act within reservation boundaries. The approval applies to 44 miles of the Klamath River and its tributaries, according to a Yurok news release. Under TAS, the tribe may determine beneficial water uses based on local cultural, environmental and community considerations.

Related article:

• KRCR (Redding, Calif.): Yurok Tribe gains authority to set water quality standards under Clean Water Act​