Program
The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Water Quality Monitoring Program protects tribal water resources through the testing and evaluation of area streams. Water quality data is compared to Oklahoma Water Resource Board designated use criteria to determine whether the streams are meeting their beneficial use requirements. Additionally, the program participates in regional water meetings in order to express the interests and concerns of the Eastern Shawnees as well as work with area tribes for the betterment of the local environment. The Eastern Shawnee Water Quality Monitoring Program is fundamental in the protection of tribal natural resources.

Each month, the 106 Water Quality Monitoring Program samples two sites on Lost Creek, two sites on Spring River, and one site on Flint Branch. Using a handheld instrument, the stream's temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and turbidity are measured. Additionally, water samples are taken back to the ESTO lab and analyzed for E. coli , nitrate, nitrite and ortho-phosphate. Every three months, the program adds volatile organic compound sampling and heavy metals analysis to the testing regime. Each quarter, macroinvertebrates are collected at the sampling locations and the populations are analyzed to determine stream health.

Clean, healthy, teeming with fish and game - Spring River, Lost Creek, and Flint Branch were once pure Ozark streams that the Eastern Shawnee Tribe depended on for food and water. Sadly, these uses are no longer supported. Mining waste, industrial dumping, and human and animal sewage have disrupted the natural balance that assured the health of these streams. The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma seeks to restore its waters to their original, uncontaminated states. The first step in the process is to assess the current quality of the creeks before making any resource management decisions. The goal of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Water Quality Monitoring Program is to gather baseline data on the health of tribal waters.

Staff
The 106 Water Quality Monitoring Program funds two full time staff: the Water Quality Officer, Wrandi Clayton, and the Water Quality Technician, Justin Morehead. The 106 Water Quality Monitoring Program goes beyond the sampling requirements of the Clean Water Act for the protection of tribal waters.

Links
For information about our E.Coli testing, read this article found at www.esto-epa.org/EColiTesting.html

For information about water, visit the EPA's water web site at www.epa.gov/water/

For information about water science, visit the EPA's water science website at www.epa.gov/waterscience/

For information about the EPA's American Indian Environmental Office, visit www.epa.gov/indian/

For a link to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, go to www.deq.state.ok.us

To view the latest news from the Oklahoma Water Resource Board, visit their website at www.owrb.state.ok.us