Fulcrum Environmental Consulting

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation, Nespelem, Washington

The reservation of the Colville Confederated Tribes spans over 250 square miles in North Central Washington. Virtually all potable water on the reservation is drawn from small, shallow alluvial aquifers vulnerable to contamination from a wide variety of sources. Fundamental objective of our work was to develop a reservation-wide groundwater monitoring plan that would provide the Tribe with timely and meaningful data on aquifer health and character. Secondary objective was to develop a Wellhead Protection Plan (WHP) as the protective framework of the Tribe's groundwater resource. Working closely with Tribal scientists, well production data was reviewed and landuse profiled reservation-wide. Specific contaminant sources were inventoried, their chemical signature characterized, and proximity to critical wellheads delineated. Bellwether wells and analytes were selected as representative of general aquifer character as well as those of specific environmental concern due to landuse pattern or history. The groundwater-monitoring plan will be implemented by Tribal members and Fulcrum is providing training toward that goal

Click on the photos below for a larger view.