The Northwestern
Band of the Shoshone Nation Air Quality Department was started
in October 1999 under a Section 103 United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) grant. Jason Walker was hired in February
2000 to serve as the air quality technician. The Air Program completed
an Emissions Inventory (EI) of the Washakie Reservation and surrounding
air shed in the Malad Valley in 2001. The EI showed the need to
pursue and air monitoring program for the Particulate Matter (PM2.5),
Ozone (O3) and meteorological data. Mr. Walker has been working
on this project since the program’s beginning and now serves
as the Air Quality Specialist with the job of overseeing the air
operation with supervision by Kenneth Timbana, Environmental Protection
Specialist. Mr. Walker has attended training throughout the United
States in the airfield working with tribes of all statures and
background. The Washakie Reservation is located in the Malad Valley
surrounded by mountains on 3 sides of the valley.
The Northwestern Band of the
Shoshone Nation’s Washakie Reservation is located in a
remote, sparsely-populated, area. The Reservation may be undergoing
increased development in the residential sector, which may have
increased impacts on the current and future ambient air quality
of the Reservation. There are also concerns regarding off-Reservation
sources of emissions, which may have an impact on plans to develop
a residential community within the boundaries of the Reservation.
The planned growth and development on the Reservation warrants
research to determine the environmental impact these activities
may have on the local ambient air quality, in order to promote
the general health and welfare of the NWBSN. An Ambient Air
Quality Assessment Program (AAQAP) will require the collection
and analysis of large amounts of meteorological and air quality
data.
NWBSN has been granted a Clean
Air Act (CAA) 103 Project Grant, to collect and analyze particulate
matter and meteorological data in accordance with Title 40 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 50 through 58 (40CFR,
50-58). The purpose of this project is to assist the Tribe in
its efforts to develop and maintain an effective Air Quality
Program for the Washakie Indian Reservation, in order to ascertain
the potential effects on public health of the levels of particulate
matter and ozone in the atmosphere. Initial grant funding has
provided for the establishment of one meteorological station,
one particulate monitoring site (including two offset samplers)
with a co-located particulate monitor for quality assurance,
and one ozone monitoring site. The objective is to initiate
sampling on the NWBSN Indian Reservation for training and informational
purposes, with the goal of expanding into formal network operations
by the end of the fiscal year.
