Nez Perce Tribe Water Resources Division - Directory

Water quality and quantity have important cultural and economic significance for the Nez Perce Tribe. The mission of the WRD is to “provide a foundation for management of the water rights secured by the Treaties of 1855 and 1863, and for monitoring the quality of water resources vital to the long-term sustainability of the Nez Perce Tribe and its heirs” (Nez Perce Tribe Water Resources Division Plan of Work 2005). Long-term viability of this resource depends on the development of comprehensive management programs for watersheds located on the reservation and ceded lands. The goals of the WRD surface water program quality monitoring program are to:

• Implement tribal water quality policies and regulation on a watershed scale to protect, preserve, and enhance water quality.
• Conduct research that supports the implementation of water quality management goals.
• Implement tribal programs, policies,and regulations to protect surface water quality, including management practices that prevent pollutants from entering surface water.
• Maintain, enhance, and restore wetland functions and values.
• Protect off-reservation water resources.
• Enhance protection of tribal water resources through coordination and consultation.