Water Quality
Mission
Keeping our local waters clean and cool is important for native aquatic life and for human health.
Clean water is particularly important to species that are sensitive to pollutants, including our native salmon and a broad variety of insects, amphibians, and mollusks. ENR monitors sites both on and off the reservation for compliance with water quality standards; this includes natural parameters such as pH and temperature as well as the presence of microbes that can be toxic to humans and wildlife.
Information is available on how to prevent pollution from entering waterways and can be found on the Environmental Protection Agency “My Waterway” website.
Projects such as the native landscaping project at the administration building and the ENR office rain garden exemplify solutions for managing polluted storm water runoff using native plants.
Water Quality Resources
ʔəshəliʔ ti qʷuʔ - "Water is Alive" Hub
ʔəshəliʔ ti qʷuʔ – “Water is Alive” Hub
ʔəshəliʔ ti qʷuʔ or “Water is Alive” hub has been published online to share the Snoqualmie Tribe message that water is
scared and needs protection. This hub site will be shared with students, faculty, partners, and the public to provide a look into all of the work that the Tribe has accomplished to enhance water quality and advocate for aquatic protections. The hub is a collaboration across multiple departments in the GASP Tower. The Water is Alive hub explores many facets of connections the Tribe has with water, including cultural practices, research, habitat restoration, advocacy, governance, and partnerships with those that also seek to protect water. Dive in and see what there is to learn about the ʔəshəliʔ ti qʷuʔ.
Snoqualmie Tribe ENR Studies
Snoqualmie Tribe Freshwater Mussel Surveys
Freshwater mussels are an understudied species. However, they are an extremely important part of the ecosystem yet they face numerous threats. Performing field surveys helps give better understanding to the habitat needs of freshwater mussels and their current population status. Click on the link above to learn more.
Pollution Prevention Resources
Pollution Prevention Assistance – Washington State Department of Ecology
We partner with local city and county organizations that provide pollution prevention assistance (PPA) to businesses and organizations in their community.
Environmental Protection Agency “My Waterway” Website
Information on how to prevent pollution from entering waterways near you.
PNW Tribal Wetland Working Group (TWIG)
PNW Tribal Wetland Working Group (TWIG)
Mission & Objectives
The Tribal Wetland Working Group [TWIG] exists to share knowledge in support of the restoration and protection of wetlands and other aquatic resources from a tribal perspective.
- Promote wetland and aquatic resources training opportunities for Tribes.
- Provide a venue for information sharing and transfer of technical expertise regarding restoration, protection, and management strategies for wetlands and aquatic resources, between staff of Pacific NW Tribes.
- Support development and implementation of wetland and aquatic resource monitoring strategies.
- Increase awareness of cultural importance of wetlands and aquatic resources.
RainWise - King County Program
Be RainWise – A King County Program
RainWise helps private property owners install rain gardens and cisterns to help manage the rain that falls on their roofs. In addition to stopping water pollution, these installations can add attractive landscaping, provide water for summer irrigation, and may reduce flooding
Snoqualmie Tribe ENR Bioswales & Rain Gardens
For more information about the bioswale and rain garden work that ENR has done, please click on the link above.
"Stormwater runoff pollution and how to reduce it" - King County
“Stormwater runoff pollution and how to reduce it” – King County Water and Land Services
Stormwater runoff is rain that falls on streets, parking areas, sports fields, gravel lots, rooftops or other developed land and flows directly into nearby lakes, rivers and Puget Sound.
Across the U.S., unmanaged stormwater runoff has caused serious damage to streams, lakes and estuaries, particularly where land uses change from rural to urban activities. It is taking its toll in Puget Sound, too. In Washington state, stormwater pollution contributes to 30 percent of the pollution in waters with some pollution problems. Most of the four million people who live in the Sound region contribute to stormwater pollution every day.
Tolt River Stream Gauge Dashboard
In 2025 the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe installed a stream gauge to measure continuous data on the North Fork Tolt River within the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Forest, an area stewarded by the Tribe since time immemorial. This information on flooding events and seasonal low flows informs management decisions, expands opportunities to improve the health of the watershed for Endangered Species Act listed salmon, and supports cultural and traditional practices for the Tribe.
Due to the uneven surface of the stream bottom, the height reported can be one to two feet lower then actual conditions.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Environmental and Natural Resource Department.
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the data. You should not act , or refrain from acting based upon information in this site without independently verifying the information.
View the Tolt River Stream Gauge Dashboard on your mobile device or web browser