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U.S. Geological Survey Activities Related to American Indians and Alaska Natives

Technical Assistance

Surface-Water Gaging Station and Temperature Probe, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. In September 2001, USGS employees of the Michigan Water Resources District installed a continuous-data stream-gaging station on the Silver River, which flows into Lake Superior, in a cooperative project with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Environmental Department. Data from the stream gage are available on a real-time basis. A real-time water temperature gage was added to the site in May 2002. A multi-parameter water-quality monitor may be added during FY 2003, if funding is available. Contact: Tom Weaver, 906-786-0714, tlweaver@usgs.gov

Water-Resources Investigation for Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. In FY 2002, the USGS Michigan Water Resources District and the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians began a cooperative 4-year study of surface-water quality and basin characteristics of Lac Vieux Desert. The 6.6 mi² lake straddles the Michigan-Wisconsin border and is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. From May through September 2002, seven sites on the lake were sampled for a suite of physical parameters and chemical constituents to help USGS and Tribal scientists determine the water quality and health of the 34 mi² lake basin. In June 2002, a continuous-record gaging station was installed to monitor the lake level of Lac Vieux Desert and the Wisconsin River at the lake outlet. Monitoring data will be available in real-time in late-October 2002 with the addition of a GOES satellite transceiver. Additional activities in FY 2002 included streamflow measurements of all tributaries to the lake, as well as outflow into the Wisconsin River, and investigation of ground-water discharge into the lake. Activities for FY 2003 will include operating the above-noted gaging stations, collecting and analyzing spring and fall water-quality samples from the lake, analyzing ground-water/surface-water interaction within the lake basin, and determining a water budget for the lake basin. Contact: Tom Weaver, 906-786-0714, tlweaver@usgs.gov

Streamflow Measurements of Wilson Creek Watershed, Hannahville Indian Community. In March 2002, USGS hydrographers from the Michigan Water Resources District made several discharge measurements of Wilson Creek at baseflow conditions. Tribal staff of the Hannahville Indian Community used the information as part of a watershed study for planned industrial development of lands west of Escanaba, Michigan. Contact: Tom Weaver, 906-786-0714, tlweaver@usgs.gov

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Water Issues. Little is known about surface- and ground-water resources beneath the lands of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. Tribal members living on the Reservation depend upon domestic water from fairly shallow wells completed in unconsolidated glacial and lacustrine deposits. Three small tributaries of the St. Joseph River system pass through agricultural land prior to crossing the Reservation. In FY 2000, a 4-year cooperative agreement was implemented between the Tribe and the USGS Michigan Water Resources District. The cooperative study will analyze and describe Tribal water resources. Results of the study will be used to establish baseline conditions. USGS and Tribal environmental staff are working cooperatively on several aspects of the data collection effort. Activities in FY 2000-2002 included surface- and ground-water measurements. Surface water was sampled and analyzed for a suite of water constituents including common agricultural pesticides and herbicides. Sampling on the three tributaries to the St. Joseph River system was conducted to better understand surface-water-quality during three distinct periods of agricultural activity: immediately after fall harvest, prior to plant emergence in the spring, and during the early summer growth season. Activities in FY 2003 are expected to include a single early- to mid-summer surface water quality sampling on the three tributaries to the St. Joseph River system. Surveys will be completed to relate all ground-water and surface-water sampling sites to a common reference datum. Additional activities will include analyzing water samples from 6 or more domestic water supply wells located on or near the Reservation for a suite of agricultural pesticides and herbicides. A summary report on the project results will be prepared. Contact: Tom Weaver, 906-786-0714, tlweaver@usgs.gov

Bad River Streamflow, Sedimentation, and Erosion Study. The major objective of this study is to understand how streamflow, erosion, and sedimentation rates have changed in the Bad River and some of its key tributaries over time due to changes in land cover. It is not known if erosion and sedimentation are exceeding natural rates. The study began in FY02 in cooperation with the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Four tasks were completed in FY02: (1) major landscape characteristics were identified for each sub-basin; (2) a long-term gaging station record was analyzed for trends in peak and mean monthly flows; (3) erosion/sedimentation hot spots were identified through air photos, flyover video, and field reconnaissance; and (4) existing literature was reviewed. In FY03, valley transects will be constructed in key reaches with dominant processes of erosion, lateral migration, and sedimentation. Cores will be collected along the valley transects and analyzed for sedimentation rates. USGS contact: Faith Fitzpatrick, 608-821-3818, fafitzpa@usgs.gov; Bad River contact: Kirsten Cahow, 715-682-7123, brwater@badriver.com

Ho-Chunk Water Quality. The USGS Wisconsin Water Resources District is assisting the Ho-Chunk Nation by assessing the hydrology and water quality of the streams on, and in close proximity to, Ho-Chunk lands. A Water Resource Investigations report entitled, "Surface-Water-Resource Information for the Ho-Chunk Nation Lands and Vicinity, Wisconsin" will be published in FY 2003 as USGS Water Resources Investigation Report 02-4307 by Diebel, M.W. and Sullivan, D.J. The report includes an analysis of existing information on chemical, physical, and biological investigations. Water-quality information, including chemistry and biological data, were collected in FY 2002 at sites on or near Ho-Chunk Nation lands. Additional data will be collected in FY 2003. Contact: Dan Sullivan (USGS), 608-821-3869, djsulliv@usgs.gov; Randy Poelma (Ho-Chunk Nation), 800-944-1652, Rpoelma@ho-chunk.com

Neopit Mill Pond Sedimentation And Sediment Chemistry Study. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin cooperated with the USGS on a study of sedimentation characteristics in Neopit Mill Pond, which was formed by damming the West Branch of the Wolf River. USGS Wisconsin Water Resources District personnel determined the texture, age, and organic and trace element chemistry of sediment stored behind the dam. The USGS staff, with the help of Menominee Tribe personnel, also mapped the pre-dam channel and topography of the West Branch of the Wolf River through the mill pond. A report is being prepared on the results of these studies. USGS contact: Faith Fitzpatrick, 608-821-3818, fafitzpa@usgs.gov; Menominee contact: Doug Cox, 715-799-4937, dcox@itol.com

Historical Trends in Streamflow, Sedimentation Rates, and Sediment Trace Element Concentrations Associated with the Wolf River, Keshena Falls to Balsam Row Dam. This project was designed to identify natural and historic concentrations of trace elements in streambed, floodplain, and backwater sediments of the Wolf River from Keshena Falls to Balsam Row Dam, mostly within the lands of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. This cooperative study between the Menominee Tribe and the USGS also determined the range of historic (150+ years) variability of flooding and the sedimentation characteristics along the same reach of the Wolf River. Major factors affecting stream sedimentation and flooding characteristics--geologic/natural versus land-use effects--were identified. This study was completed in FY2001 and a report has been prepared. USGS contact: Faith Fitzpatrick, 608-821-3818, fafitzpa@usgs.gov; Menominee contact: Doug Cox, 715-799-4937, dcox@itol.com

Ground-Water Contribution and Community Water Systems, Menominee Lands. The USGS Wisconsin Water Resources District continues studying the extent and composition of areas that contribute water to, and travel time of water captured by, community wells on lands of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. This information will be used by the Menominee government for water-resource and well-head protection planning in community areas. Contact: Charles Dunning (USGS), 608-821-3827, cdunning@usgs.gov; Gary Schuettpelz (Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin), 715-799-4937, gschuett@mail.wiscnet.net

Oneida Hydrologic Investigations. The objectives of this cooperative project with the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin are to collect long-term data at two sites and to perform trend analysis for pesticides, nutrients, and suspended sediment. Results of the study will assist Oneida officials with environmental and developmental planning. Contact: Kevin Richards (USGS), 608-821-3861, krichard@usgs.gov; Jim Snitgen (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin), 920-869-5812

Water Resources Investigation for the Prairie Island Indian Community. The Prairie Island Indian Community asked the USGS Minnesota Water District Office to define the wellhead protection areas of their municipal wells. The USGS study uses two dimensional ground-water flow models, aquifer tests and continuous stage recorders on the Mississippi River. The Community is located adjacent to the River. These investigations were completed in FY 2002. Contact: Don Hansen, 763-783-3250, dshansen@usgs.gov

Spirit Lake Nation Wetlands Ecology. The Spirit Lake Nation will initiate a wetland-monitoring program on its lands in 2003. In preparing for that program, USGS personnel trained members of the Spirit Lake Nation in wildlife and plant inventory techniques. The training also included assistance in the development of quality assurance project plans (QAPP) to ensure that data quality is consistent with objectives of the wetland-monitoring plan. Early in 2003, USGS staff will assist Spirit Lake personnel in selecting candidate wetland sites and establishing photographic stations for monitoring general temporal changes in those wetlands. Contact: Ned H. Euliss, Jr., 701-253-5564, ned_euliss@usgs.gov

Spirit Lake Tribe Capacity Building. USGS North Dakota Water Resources personnel accompanied Spirit Lake Tribal staff in the field and provided quality assurance regarding the collection, processing, and shipping of water-quality samples. USGS personnel have helped Tribal staff assemble and install wetland-monitoring packages, and provided training on how to read and record water-level information, calibrate the equipment, and transfer data from the field to the office. USGS personnel also provided training on how to select the location and make and compile a discharge measurement. The USGS National Water Quality Laboratory processed the water-quality samples. Contact: Douglas G. Emerson, 701-250-7402, demerson@usgs.gov

Geographic Information Systems Workshop for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Sinte Gleska University. Sinte Gleska University (SGU) and the USGS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2000 to cooperatively improve science education for Native American students. During 2002, the partnership fostered successful workshops and an online course. In June 2002, SGU and the USGS conducted a 3-day, hands-on geographic information systems workshop for Tribal and SGU professionals from the Rosebud offices of water resources, lands, cultural resource management, biology, and other offices. Sinte Gleska University endorsed its first online course in geographic information systems as a part of its long-term goal of establishing the University as a center of excellence for spatial analysis. The online course is available on the Web at: http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/ outreach/sgu/sgugis.html Contact: Joseph Kerski (USGS), 303-202-4315, jjkerski@usgs.gov; James Rattling Leaf (SGU), 605-856-4262, jamesrl@sinte.edu

Hydrologic Information and GIS Capacity Building for the Caddo Tribe. The Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma is concerned about the vulnerability of ground water to pesticide contamination in northern Caddo County and Canadian County, Oklahoma. On behalf of the Tribe, the USGS Oklahoma Water Resources District is constructing an aquifer-sensitivity map to outline areas where the aquifer is susceptible to pesticide contamination. The Tribe, with USGS assistance, is developing a geographic information system (GIS) that will include land use, pesticide use, and other data for parcels of land. USGS scientists worked with Tribal employees on ways to use GIS to make ground-water vulnerability maps and provided the tribes with a series of risk maps. At the Caddo Tribal headquarters in October 2002, several Tribal members were trained in the use of spatial data and basic GIS software applications by USGS staff. Contact: Carol J. Becker, 405-810-4436, cjbecker@usgs.gov

Technical Assistance to the Blackfeet Nation on Water-Resources Issues. In FY 2002, the USGS Montana Water Resources District continued to provide technical assistance to the Blackfeet Nation on water-resources issues. The USGS provided the Tribal government with information and guidance regarding ground-water flow directions and water levels in the vicinity of a wetland area near the town of Browning. The USGS also provided streamflow data and technical assistance to Tribal authorities during flooding in June 2002 that was related to a major snowstorm. Contact: Mike Cannon, 406 457-5900, mcannon@usgs.gov

Navajo Surface Water Project. The Navajo Surface Water project continues to help personnel of the Navajo Nation's Water Resources Department compute streamflow records and operate their streamflow-gaging stations. The USGS Arizona Water Resources District is providing technical assistance to Navajo hydrologists and technicians by populating databases with hydrologic data to compute and store streamflow data. USGS scientists also are training Navajo personnel to compute records and develop rating curves. Additionally, USGS personnel are providing quality assurance for the project. The USGS currently operates two streamflow gages in cooperation with the Navajo Nation to provide near-real-time hydrologic data and to provide training opportunities to Tribal personnel. Contact: Gregory G. Fisk, 520-556-7225, ggfisk@usgs.gov

Navajo Wetlands. USGS wetland scientists from the Mid-Continent Ecological Research Center assisted in the design of a constructed wetland on the Navajo Nation and are currently studying whether the design improves the quality of the wastewater from the community of Piñon, Arizona, for reuse and/or discharge. Concurrently, this wetland was designed to provide wildlife habitat that is scarce in the area. This is a cooperative effort among the Navajo Nation, the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the USGS. Besides collecting water-quality data at this site annually since 1999, the group has been collecting sediments, vegetation, and invertebrates annually for bioaccumulation studies of certain chemical element. Results from this research will provide information on how and when to build additional treatment wetland cells for further development in the Piñon area and in other remote locations within the arid southwest. Two field trips were made in 2002 to collect water, sediment, plant, and invertebrate samples from the constructed wetland following the second full year of operation. Two additional field trips are planned during 2003. Contact: Joan Thullen, 303-445-2212 or, joan_thullen@usgs.gov or James Sartoris, 303-445-2230, james_j_sartoris@usgs.gov

Stream-Gaging Cooperation. The White Mountain Apache Tribe permitted USGS employees to access stream gages on Tribal lands, under the terms of an Intergovernmental Agreement. USGS Arizona Water Resources District staff helped train White Mountain Apache Tribal staff in water-quality and surface-water data collection techniques. Contact: Christopher Smith, 520-670-6671 ext.251, cfsmith@usgs.gov

Availability and Quality of Surface-Water and Ground-Water Resources of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. During 2002, the USGS Arizona Water Resources District collected water-level measurements at 12 wells, measured stream discharge at 2 streamflow gages, and collected water-quality samples from springs, wells, and surface-water sites on lands of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. This program was designed to assist the Tribe in managing its water resources and to provide water-quality data that the Tribe can use to assess the health of Tribal members by meeting EPA water-quality standards. The USGS has provided training in collecting hydrologic data to Tribal staff over the past several years. The Tribe plans to collect its own water-quality, peak-flow, and ground-water data in FY 2003, demonstrating the success of this collaborative project to enhance Tribal capabilities. The USGS may continue operating the continuous-record streamflow gages for the Tribe. Contact: Robert J. Hart, 928-556-7137, bhart@usgs.gov; Gregory G. Fisk, 928-556-7225, ggfisk@usgs.gov

Hydrologic Information for the Walker River Paiute Tribe. During irrigation season, the USGS Nevada Water Resources District collected pH and conductance measurements for the Walker River Paiute Tribe. The information will help the Tribe in managing its water quality. Contact: Kerry Garcia, 775-887-7659, ktgarcia@usgs.gov

Support for Hydrologic Investigations and Ground-Water Modeling for the Lummi Nation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is assisting the Lummi Nation in determining the ground-water resources available for Tribal use on Lummi lands. At the BIA's request, USGS Washington Water Resources District hydrologists are providing technical review of the hydrologic data collected and technical oversight and review of a ground-water model of the Lummi Peninsula that is being constructed. The review process began late in FY 2002 and will be completed in FY 2003. Contact: Brian Drost, 253-428-3600, ext. 2642, bwdrost@usgs.gov

Surface-Water Quality Training for the Karuk Tribe of California. USGS California Water Resources District scientists are training Karuk Tribal personnel in water-quality sampling, measurement, and quality assurance/quality control procedures. The training builds Tribal capacity to manage water resources. Contact: Jim Bowers, 760-247-1401, jcbowers@usgs.gov

Streamgaging by the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Hoopa Valley Tribal employees are operating four gaging stations in the Trinity River watershed under the general direction of and quality assurance review by USGS California Water Resources District scientists. Tribal employees have attended USGS classes on sediment measurement, in addition to on-the-job training during USGS field work. As part of the Trinity River Restoration Program, the Hoopa Valley Tribe is planning to expand its role in taking stream-discharge measurements and in sediment sampling. Contact: Jim Bowers, 760-247-1401, jcbowers@usgs.gov

Technical Support to Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake. In response to requests from the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake for information related to mercury in Clear Lake and adjacent areas, USGS California Water Resources District hydrologists are providing USGS reports and literature citations for non-USGS reports. This activity has evolved into requests for USGS support of an Indian-led Clear Lake watershed initiative. A USGS representative has attended the initial meeting and will continue in an active advisory role. Contact: Walter Swain, 916-278-3024, wcswain@usgs.gov

Technical Discussions with the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission. USGS hydrologists are continuing to provide information to the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission on ground water and its use by American Indians and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. These discussions may lead to USGS review of third-party reports for the Water Commission, scientific and technical explanations of USGS and third-party reports, and advice on additional ground-water models. USGS scientists are currently extending the area covered by a previously published USGS ground-water model for the Owens Valley, in cooperation with Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The extension of the ground-water model may prompt additional work with Tribes, the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Contact: Wes Danskin, 858-637-6832, wdanskin@usgs.gov

Aquifer Characterization with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. USGS hydrogeologists with the California Water Resources District completed work on a project to provide the Morongo Band with comprehensive information on the chemical and physical characteristics of their primary water-supply aquifers. Technical reports were provided earlier and a graphical poster for use by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians has been prepared and delivered. The poster will be used to educate area residents and to improve management of their water-supply resources. Contact: Allen Christensen, 858-637-6875, ahchrist@usgs.gov

USGS Technical Assistance to Bureau of Indian Affairs. The USGS continues to provide networking support to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). USGS employees provided technical expertise and designs to assist BIA with internal communications after BIA computers were taken off-line. Part of the design was implemented in Alaska in FY 2002. Some additional routing issues were resolved throughout BIA in early FY 2002. Contact: Pat Murphy, 650-329-4044, pmurphy@noc.usgs.net

Surface-Water Monitoring Stations. The USGS Water Resources District operated the following surface-water monitoring stations in FY 2002, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or a third party:

Water-Quality Monitoring Stations. The USGS Water Resources District collected water-quality data at the following sites in FY 2002, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe:

Ground-Water Monitoring Stations. The USGS Water Resources District operated the following ground-water monitoring stations in FY 2002, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe:

Sediment-Monitoring Stations. The USGS Water Resources District operated the following sediment-monitoring stations in FY 2002, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe:

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: http://www.usgs.gov/indian/2002report/technical.html Contact USGS Last modified: Monday, 03-Nov-2003 16:32:49 EST