In a bid to secure safe drinking water for the Grindstone Indian Rancheria, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), together with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), has reached a settlement with the Northern California tribe to enhance water safety measures. The agreement, centered on the tribe's water system, ensures that the 150 residents reliant on treated surface water from Stony Creek will not be left high and dry.
"Ensuring that small community water systems like this one provide safe drinking water is a national priority for EPA, especially in communities that face environmental justice concerns," Martha Guzman, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator, expressed. The Grindstone Indian Rancheria has been grappling with water quality issues, leading to this federal intervention. The tribe must now develop and issue a boil water notice as needed, comply with federal water treatment standards for its water tanks and distribution system, and supply clean alternative water when necessary.
The agreement spells out the immediate need for action by requiring the Tribe to craft an operation and maintenance plan for its water system and hire qualified operators to run it. These new mandates address the Tribe's previous shortfalls in meeting the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) directives.
Acknowledging past violations, the settlement also stipulates the Tribe will pay a penalty of $8,963. The violations included failing to ensure adequate disinfection, exceeding standards for E. coli, not collecting routine samples for contaminants, not operating the water system with a qualified operator, and falling short on public notification requirements, according to a report by the EPA. The Tribe's compliance with these actions is hoped to significantly augment the health and safety of the community members who have historically been underserved regarding environmental protections and basic amenities.
The settlement is now subject to a 30-day public comment period, following which it will be reviewed further. Members of the public can access details of the proposed settlement and instructions on how to submit their views through the DOJ website.
