CRIT Environmental Protection Office

CRIT EPO MISSION STATEMENT
"PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS"

The mission of the Environmental Protection Office is to preserve, protect and maintain the quality of the environment on the Colorado River Indian Reservation. The CRIT EPO team works in collaboration at the Tribal, State, Local and Federal level in order to uphold environmental quality standards. It is our commitment and resonsibility to ensure the CRIT communities' safety and well-being by implementing programs and activities that are conducive to a healthier environment for the future.

Some Interesting Facts About the CRIT Reservation:

• 45 miles long / 12 miles wide
• 114 linear miles of Colorado River shoreline (CA/AZ)
• Over 200+ acres of wetlands
• 240 miles of irrigation canals and 152 miles of drains

Under Section 319 of the CWA, the Nonpoint Source Control Program (under development) CRIT will be allowed to develop Nonpoint Source regulations that can be incorporated into the Tribes' administrative framework. Tribal law would then serve as a regulatory mechanism for protecting public health and the environment from water quality degradation. This kind of regulatory mechanism is important because most water quality problems on the Reservation are currently caused by nonpoint sources. Nonpoint sources are defined as diffuse pollution sources that do not have a single point of origin or are not introduced into a receiving water from a specific outlet. The pollutants are generally carried off the land by stormwater runoff. Common nonpoint sources are agriculture, forestry, urban development, mining, construction, dams and channels, and land disposal.