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Intimately connected and complementary to such tribal efforts would be tribal under- 

 takings to expcind or initiate joint watershed and regional water quality programs 

 with federal, state and local governments and other entities. Many tribes already are 

 involved in such watershed programs with other govenunents. In this point of Stage 

 m, the participating tribes would reach out to further expand and develop such 

 progrcims. 



To develop, implement and maintain such progreims requires constant effort cind 

 expense. Stage HI funding is intended, among other things, to provide participating 

 tribes with the resources to match their governmental neighbors in the ability to share 

 common expenses. In addition, through the Northwest Indian Fisheries Comnussion, 

 participating tribes would undertake full-scale implementation of centrcilized water 

 testing laboratory, data management, educational and public relations programs 

 necessary to successful functioning of the Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program. 

 The tribes <ilso would begin to explore development of standards to prioritize fund- 

 ing for special individual and multi-tribal water quality projects. 



The Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program And Water Quality Education: 



At this point in Stage HI, all of the individual, cooperative and centralized programs 

 developed and put into effect during previous stages would be operating. The Coor- 

 dinated Tribal Water Quality Program would not be static, however. Memy indi- 

 vidual tribes would have moved from a basic water quality program involving two 

 full-time-equivalent staff to expanded programs requiring more expertise and there- 

 fore more hired or contracted staff. Because of differing needs among tribes, no single 

 generedization can capture the extent of this program building. 



Anyone aware of the water quality problems in the State of Washington knows that 

 the tribes, as well as the federal, state, county, municipal and other governments, face 

 a control, clean-up and remediation task that will take years and millions of dollars to 

 accomplish. In addition, the tribes and other governments face the prospect of de- 

 creased water quality from ever more population crowding into the Puget Sound 

 Basin and other areas already heavily affected by the water quality problems atten- 

 dcint to growth and development. 



It is impossible at this point in the development of the Coordinated Tribal Water 

 Qutdity Program to anticipate and prescribe for all of the water quality problems the 

 tribes and other governments might face. To try to allay the impacts of growth and 

 development, the participating tribes would seek to extend one sure tool in the 

 struggle against water pollution: Education. 



The tribes would expect to liave a centralized water quality education program to 

 help instruct tribal and neighboring publics about water pollution and efforts by the 

 tribes and others to curb and remediate it. Here the tribes would propose to Ccirry 

 that educational program a major step forwiu-d in conjunction with the Northwest 

 Indictn Fisheries Commission and appropriate federal, state and local agencies. 

 Together they would develop a water quality education program for curriculums 

 from kindergarten to college. 



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