The Sokaogon Chippewa Community made a unique decision to classify all of 

its water bodies as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW). ONRW is the 

highest level of antidegradation protection available under regulations for the 

water quality standards program and offers protection to waters of “exceptional recreational or ecological significance.” EPA regulations state that there can be no new or increased discharges to ONRWs and no new or increased 

discharges to tributaries to ONRWs that would lower the water quality in the ONRWs, except on a temporary basis.

Introduction

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community (Mole Lake 

Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) regards 

water as sacred and considers it “...an integral and 

sacred part of the Sokaogon people’s survival, identity, and culture. Water is the life-supporting blood of 

Mother Earth that human beings share in common 

with all living things.” The Tribe decided to assume 

greater responsibility and control of the present and 

future conditions of its water resources and applied 

to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to 

administer its own water quality standards program. EPA approved the Tribe’s application in 

1995 and approved the Tribe’s water quality standards in 1996. 

Tribal Background

In 1938, the federal government purchased 1,745 acres in northern Wisconsin for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. Approximately 400 people, mostly tribal members, live on the reservation. The three lakes on or adjacent to the 

reservation are Rice Lake, Bishop Lake, and Mole Lake. Rice Lake, located in the center of the reservation, is a shallow 

marshy lake with depths that average only one to two feet. Each autumn, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community engages in the sacred tradition of harvesting and processing green wild rice seeds from Rice Lake. The wild rice on Rice 

Lake grows naturally and is processed in the traditional Indian way that dates back centuries. In addition to consuming 

the rice and using the rice as a spiritual gift in ceremonies, the Tribe also sells some of its crop.

The Tribe’s Environmental Department has a staff of seven and a budget of about $250,000. The Environmental Department is responsible for the reservation’s water quality standards, water quality and quantity monitoring, biological 

monitoring, drinking water, and waste removal programs. The Tribe is working on a water quality monitoring project. 

Physical (e.g., stream flow, stream stage), chemical (e.g., metals, nutrients, general water quality measurements), and 

biological (e.g., aquatic invertebrates, algae, wild rice density) data collected over several years will provide an assessment of water quality conditions and may also be used to update the Tribe’s water quality standards.

Water Quality Standards

The Tribe’s Environmental Department engaged the larger tribal community to 

discuss the benefits and obligations associated with developing and administering a water quality standards program under the Clean Water Act. There were 

two important factors that motivated the Sokaogon Chippewa Community to 

develop EPA-approved water quality standards. First, the Tribe acknowledged 

the importance of its lakes and rivers to its traditions and way of life. Second, 

the Sokaogon Chippewa Community recognized reservation waters were of 

high quality and wanted to maintain them.

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community

Case Studies in Tribal Water Quality Standards Programs 

July 2006

EPA-823-R-06-005
Successful Application

Tribal Recommendations

• obtain EPA approval of water quality standards to give regulatory strength to environmental controls

• maintain close contact with state and EPA regional offices 

throughout the process

• understand the impact of water quality standards decisions 

both on and off the reservation

• ensure that the tribal administration is committed to protecting 

water quality fully, including any additional costs involved

The ONRW classification is important to the Tribe because it limits activities upstream from the reservation that may 

degrade the quality of reservation waters. For almost thirty years, several mining companies tried to begin mining activities at a property proposed for “Crandon Mine,” which is located one mile upstream of the Sokaogon 

Chippewa Community Reservation. In reviewing environmental impact reports, the Tribe contended that use of 

cyanide in ore processing, acid mine drainage, soil erosion, and groundwater drawdown would adversely affect 

the quality of its waters. The ONRW classification of Rice Lake contained in the Tribe’s water quality standards provides a legal basis for preventing activities such as discharging mining wastewater to any of the lake’s tributaries if 

those discharges would adversely affect Rice Lake. In 2003, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community with assistance 

of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe purchased the mining company including over 5,800 acres of land. To 

protect Rice Lake and other water resources, the Sokaogon Chippewa subsequently withdrew all mining permit 

applications to protect Rice Lake and other water resources.

The ONRW classification has also affected activities on the reservation. For example, the Tribe recently constructed a service station and remodeled an existing gaming facility on its reservation. As a result of the ONRW classification, the design plans for both facilities were modified to include environmental controls to prevent runoff from 

the sites. Although these measures added to the construction costs, the Tribe is willing to accept such expenses to 

protect its waters.

Tribal water quality standards approved by EPA, including the Sokoagon Chippewa, can be viewed at:

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqslibrary/tribes.html

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community’s environmental staff strongly 

recommends that tribes considering developing water quality standards:

For Further Information, Contact:

Tina Van Zile or Roman Ferdinand 

Environmental Department 

Sokaogon Chippewa Community 

3051 Sand Lake Road 

Crandon, WI 54520 

phone: 715-478-7605

Website: www.sakoagonchippewa.com