Water (nə̀pi) Resources

The Water Resources Program staff protect the health of Penobscot citizens and how they use their waters by conducting monitoring work that will:

1. Ensure that water quality standards are being met and that licensed discharges and hydroelectric facilities are in compliance with permit conditions
2. Gather data needed for tribal input into various regulatory and permitting processes (e.g., hydroelectric, rule-making, statistical modeling efforts)
3. Identify non-point sources of pollution
4. Upgrade river/tributaries classifications
5. General water resources planning for recommended changes
6. Document changes in water quality at and between sites/reaches in the short and long-term
7. Provide EPA with data on all core water quality indicators relevant to PIN
8. Assess impacts of land uses
9. Provide screening or early warnings for potential water quality problems
10. Use benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring to determine if biological criteria are being met

Without good quality data on the condition of the rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands on Penobscot Nation land, and sections of water that flow into Penobscot Nation waters, we would not have any way to determine how well the rights of Penobscot citizens were being protected.