Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We're working to fix a technical issue causing problems with our broadcasts. We'll have it resolved as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

EPA Reaches Agreements With Tribes Over Water Quality Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday announced that it issued compliance orders to correct violations for water systems on the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap Reservations.

The EPA Region 8 office says it has reached agreements with the Blackfeet Tribe to correct federal clean water violations for several water systems on the reservation. The violations include failure to monitor for lead, copper, and total coliform bacteria, failure to distribute reports on water quality to customers and failure to notify the public of certain federal violations.

The EPA also reached an agreement with the Fork Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes over violations for disinfection byproduct and contaminant levels exceeding federal benchmarks and failure to remove the required percentage of organic carbon.

The EPA said in a press release that the agreements with tribes outline specific time frames for drinking water systems to come into compliance with drinking water regulations and include enforceable steps.

Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
Become a sustaining member for as low as $5/month
Make an annual or one-time donation to support MTPR
Pay an existing pledge or update your payment information