Water Quality Training for Region VIII
Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes
Northeast Montana—benefiting all of Region 8

DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK:
The Water Quality Training Program Project for Region VIII Tribes actively began in 2002, using monies from the Clean Water Act § 106 Special Project Monies, with matching funds from the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Office of Environmental Protection (OEP). The project implements a multi-phased approach to meeting the requests from the Tribes within Region VIII for a water quality training curriculum taught primarily by Tribal Water Quality Professionals within the Region and specifically tailored to meet Tribal personnel needs.

Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, working in conjunction with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University (NAU), and EPA Region VIII personnel, has developed and begun to implement a regional tribal water quality certification program offering professional certification on increasingly technical levels.

The certification program is loosely built around the college curriculum format based on classroom interaction time, whereby 8 hours of training equates to 1 credit. To progress from one level to the next, program participants are required to complete specific core classes, as well as complete a specific number of elective credit hours. A standardized protocol and a review board consisting of EPA personnel, Tribal professionals, and educational representatives approve core and elective course curriculums. All courses implement and enforce a stringent attendance policy, pre and post course testing, as well as completion of out of class assignments.

The certification program currently offers certification to water quality staff on three separate levels: (Level I Certification) Water Quality Technician; (Level II) Water Quality Specialist; and (Level III) Environmental Specialist. Core requirements for certification on these levels include classes such as the Basic Monitoring Course, Data Entry/Introduction to Data Analysis, Monitoring Design, Advanced Data Analysis, and 305(b) Report Writing.

OBJECTIVES, TASKS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
To date, curriculums for Data Entry/Introductory Data Analysis, Monitoring Design, Basic Water Quality Monitoring, Advanced Data Analysis, Biological Monitoring, and Wilderness First Aid classes have been developed and held at different locations around the Region. Additional monies still remain from the original project grant extended through September 30, 2006, which will be spent on additional training courses and repeat training courses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deb Madison, OEP Environmental Programs Manager