The benefit for Us can happen over the course of the next few years with agencies such as Waterboards, State Board, Central Valley Regional Quality Control Board, & Federal/Tribal EPA. Another benefit will be higher Water Quality Standards (WQ). These uses, have been adopted into the basin plan during the triennial review by Waterboards on February 18th, 2022. This decision results in our Traditional Use Waterway Areas such as basket material gathering, medicine gathering, spear fishing and other ceremonial areas will have a higher standard of water protection from contaminants such as pesticides/sediments/mercury. These are the following definitions adopted into the basin plan:CUL, (Tribal Tradition & Cultural Uses)-uses of water that support the cultural, spiritual, ceremonial, or traditional rights or lifeways of California Native American Tribes including, but not limited to navigation, ceremonies, or fishing, gathering, or consumption of natural aquatic resources, including fish, shellfish, vegetation, and materials.T-SUB, (Tribal Subsistence Fishing)-non-commercial catching or gathering of natural aquatic resources such as fish & shellfish for consumption.
For a complete run-down on What’s New visit https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/basin_plans/tribal_beneficial_uses/orhttps://www.waterboards.ca.gov/tribal_affairs/beneficial_uses.html
Please stay tuned for the next steps in this exciting process.
Tribal Beneficial Use Definitions Update:
• Central Valley Water Board Adopted Tribal Beneficial Use definitions into the Basin Plans on 18 Feb 2022
• Tribal Tradition and Culture (CUL)
• Tribal Subsistence Fishing (T-SUB)
• Subsistence Fishing (SUB)
Next Steps:
We are gathering information from membership on the waterways you/your family visit & how they are used by membership such as, recreational swimming, ceremonial/traditional activities, fishing & hunting. Please DO NOT USE specific locations when filling this out. This questionnaire is on a voluntary basis and your input is extremely valuable should you decide to participate. This data will ONLY be used for the tribe to quantify requests for waterbody designations.
Please click link below to access the Membership TBU Form: