Navajo Nation residents face coronavirus without running water
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Margie Barton unfolded a map of Dilkon in Navajo Nation and pointed to the clusters of households representing 90% of its residents living without running water. Barton is the coordinator of the Dilkon Chapter House, the local administrative and communal center, and is involved in almost all aspects of keeping services up and running for the community — including access to clean water.
About 30% of the population in the Navajo Nation does not have running water in their homes during a time when hand-washing is critical. It also has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates per capita in the U.S., after New York and New Jersey.
"Once it was brought to our attention just how many people were catching and dying from it — that's when it hit home here in Dilkon. All of a sudden, everybody is scared," said Barton.
In response, the Navajo Nation quickly instated the country's most extensive lockdown orders , but inadequate infrastructure and lack of access to basic needs is intensifying the crisis. Homes without running water may only have a 50-gallon tank to siphon water out of, requiring careful use at a time when families can't afford to ration water.
"We're at the most southwestern portion of the Navajo Nation, and our needs are dire. We feel like we're forgotten at times," Barton said.
Dilkon is located 85 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona, and spans almost 17 square miles. Those without running water spend hours hauling barrels of water, often on unpaved roads, forced to break social distancing guidelines to meet their daily water needs. It can also be very costly.
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) is the largest tribal multi-utility provider in the U.S. It operates 11 external watering stations for residents to haul water, charging $5 for up to 1,000 gallons. But for those who have to purchase water elsewhere or rely on bottled water, it can cost $1.50 a gallon. A study looking at water issues in Navajo Nation, funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, found Navajo households without running water paid 71 times the amount that water users in typical urban areas paid.
Dilkon has two water trucks that haul weekly water supplies to elderly tribal members and families with health and transportation issues. Both vehicles were temporarily out of commission awaiting parts for expensive repairs — something Barton has to manage frequently due to road conditions and unpaved tough terrain.
"They'll have them repaired by next week, then we can start hauling water for the community again," Barton explained. She said 30 families are dependent on the trucks for water. "If the trucks are not running, we ask community members and neighbors to help them. We'll also take boxes of water out to them."
George McGraw is the founder of DigDeep , a nonprofit focused on water access issues. He said the Navajo Nation isn't alone: Over 2 million Americans across all 50 states don't have any running water or a flush toilet at home, but Native Americans have trouble accessing water more than any other group.
The United States built one of the world's most successful water and sanitation systems, with the New Deal expanding the development to include rural areas in the 1930s. Still, McGraw said that system was never designed to serve everybody. "If you were poor or a community of color, you were deliberately sidelined out of the infrastructural development built to serve the rest of the country."
A study by DigDeep and US Water Alliance, "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States," identified race as the strongest predictor of access to running water as an American in 2020. It found African American and Latinx households were nearly twice as likely to lack complete plumbing compared to white families, while Native American households were 19 times more likely. The study found race was a more significant factor than income and geography.
For tribal communities like the Navajo Nation, a decline in funding has made it hard to catch up to the rest of the country. In 2016, Indian Health Services estimated it would need $2.7 billion to provide water and sanitation infrastructure to all homes on reservations that can be reached by traditional lines, yet Congress appropriated less than 4% of the needed amount.
The Navajo, along with many other tribes, signed treaties with the federal government over 150 years ago giving up much of their land. In return, they were promised funding to support education, housing, health care and infrastructure. But decades of underfunding and bureaucratic obstacles left many tribal communities frustrated and without basics like running water.
Despite insufficient federal funds and extraordinary geographic obstacles, NTUA manages to bring piped water and electricity to almost 70% of all homes in the Navajo Nation. McGraw described the NTUA as heroes. "They maintain water infrastructure that in any other part of the country would just be impossible."
The NTUA has 37,000 electricity and 21,151 water ratepayers across an area the size of West Virginia, most of them residential. "In comparison, Los Angeles has millions of ratepayers, and most are industrial with a higher rate, yet the city is barely able to make ends meet," McGraw noted. Still, there are places in Navajo Nation that may have to wait decades for water infrastructure — and some communities it may never reach.
DigDeep started the Navajo Water Project to help fill that water access gap. Since 2014, they've built over 300 water systems in areas without infrastructure and diminishing clean water supplies. Groundwater in Navajo Nation is often contaminated in areas surrounding some 521 abandoned uranium mines.
"Our clients wake up every morning and the first thing they think of is, 'Where am I going to get enough water today to survive?' It's a daily reality that revolves around your access to water and a reality that most Americans cannot comprehend," said McGraw.
Margie Barton enlisted the help of other Dilkon Chapter staff and spent a year and half surveying every household in Dilkon. McGraw recalled, "We got a call from Margie, and she said, 'I know water is not coming anytime soon, so we want to do what you're doing.' Then she sent us boxes and boxes of survey data." They found most of the community members were using barrels to store and use water at home.
Dilkon Chapter House and DigDeep have secured enough funding to purchase the first 80 water systems that would use 1,200-gallon cistern tanks and water pumps to get running water into homes off the grid. Clean water still needs to be hauled to the homes, but with careful planning, the water could last families a month. Ten of these systems were installed before the pandemic hit.
"We're trying to sustain our community," said Barton. "It's important to be strong. It's essential for living out here."
COVID-19 has brought historical inequalities into sharp focus and made addressing these issues more urgent than ever. McGraw said, "When it comes to COVID-19, all we have is prevention. We have no treatment, no vaccine. You can do two things — wash your hands frequently and you can isolate yourself from other people. Neither is possible if you don't have running water at home."
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For tribal communities like the Navajo Nation, a decline in funding has made it hard to catch up to the rest of the country. In 2016, Indian Health Services estimated it would need $2.7 billion to provide water and sanitation infrastructure to all homes on reservations that can be reached by traditional lines, yet Congress appropriated less than 4% of the needed amount.
The Navajo, along with many other tribes, signed treaties with the federal government over 150 years ago giving up much of their land. In return, they were promised funding to support education, housing, health care and infrastructure. But decades of underfunding and bureaucratic obstacles left many tribal communities frustrated and without basics like running water.
Say what you will, but this issue, which has been going on since 1858, is purely a race issue. No other minority ethnicity in the U. S. is being CONTINUALLY pushed to the back burner to receive the care/necessities GUARANTEED by the U. S. government - NONE.
Indian Nations/Tribes are suffering much more than other U. S. citizens and the Navajo/Hopi Reservations are excellent examples.
Is American going back to "The only good Indian is a dead Indian"???
Stand up to your treaty obligations Congress - do what is the legally correct thing to do.
How many more Native Americans have to die because they don't have the basic friggin' services that the rest of America has?
I'm washing my hands about 10 times a day. How do you fight the virus without running water? It is a danger to everyone.
Very true statement Vic. We're "taking for granted" that everyone has the same sanitary abilities but sadly it ain't true.
When are the casino owners going to start helping?
The casinos are owned by the tribe, not individuals. Most native casinos closed their operation including the restaurants and hotels long before it was declared mandatory. They have NO INCOME and the Treasury said that they were not eligible under for relief as a small business.
The tribes/casinos have taken all of the supplies, food/clothing/medicine and distributed it to tribal members. Additionally, they have taken much of the reserve funds to support tribal members. Remember to date they have not received one fucking dime from the government.
Probably when the casinos are allowed to reopen.
These sorts of stories need to be on the national news more. One of the reporters should ask Trump about it at his press conferences. Native Americans need more publicity on their problems.
Its sad to see that Americans have to struggle like this because they are a tiny minority (relatively) without much national political influence.
The reports linked in your seed are horrible. Some of the data they rely on are decades old, showing that the devastating health effects have been know for far too long.
I find it disgusting that 'we' have no problem trucking water to fracking operations but can't seem to figure out how to get water to the Navajo tribe.
1st - the "links" are from the author(s) - take it up with them.
2nd - the fracking water is not potable and can be transported by just about any means.
For some reason, you're looking to pick a fight. Perhaps if you put away your bias for a second, you'd recognize my comment for what it is.
Most freshwater isn't potable. Water used for fracking is sourced from lakes, rivers and even municipalities. It's fresh, treatable water and easily made suitable for drinking.
BTFW, if you READ the links I was talking about, you'd know that much of the water from the wells they studied are polluted with arsenic and uranium WAY above safe levels. In short, not 'potable' but they're stuck with it.
Nope - not trying to pick a fight - just wanted brevity vice expanding on someone else's work.
Concur that most freshwater isn't potable and, unfortunately, the frackers get it from any damn where they can get it in mass quantities at minimum price.
It is really sad that OSHA/EPA didn't do as they are tasked to do with the aquifers in the SW by conducting the required testing to ensure contamination levels never got that high. Hell, when I was working in Florida, the AF and state were constantly going at it with the Feds on their pizz-poor testing and quality control. So, yeah, I know about the pollution, not only here, but in - oh, let's say OK, TN, GA, FL plus at least 20 more states that are allowing fracking without meeting the minimum standards.
Huh?
Once the Bush Administration allowed to frackers to claim that the chemical they mixed with the water was 'intellectual property', it became almost impossible to regulate.
New Mexico Native American tribes enforce strict isolation, testing in fear of coronavirus outbreak http:// hill.cm/8Kmzh0g
Related story!
And another related story:
South Dakota governor threatens legal action if Native American tribes don't remove coronavirus checkpoints http:// hill.cm/EKhLipk
My tribe the Red Lake Ojibwe declared ''medical martial law'' which is in our constitution and supported by the members of Red Lake. We are a closed reservation and have been since our inception. This closing was in the best interest of the tribal members. All of us that live off-reservation have strong connections to our tribe and reservation and visit quite often. As a member since I live off-reservation I cannot enter the reservations until it is declared ok to do so. I do not have a problem with this because I'm well aware that if the virus gets a hold on the reservation it could be devastating.
I am in favor of every tribe closing their borders. As can be seen with the Navajo if the virus gets in the results are devastating to the tribe.
The Red Lake Ojibwe is a band of the Chippewa?
Yes we are. The term Chippewa is how the English pronounced the word Ojibwe which is a French word for our people. Our true name is Anishinaabe translated to ''The First People or the Good People''.
I like it!
We are also known as the ''Warrior Nation''...
Doesn't that belong to the Sioux?
No it doesn't. The Ojibwe defeated the Sioux and drove them from Canada, northern MN and WI.
It not only takes in Warrior in the sense of fighting but of the fight and wins in both battle and legal against the US government for the past 400 years. The word Ogichidaa simply translation is ''warrior'' the more indepth meaning to us is ''he who stands against evil'' which to us means much more than warrior.
This is a very good read by Anton Treuer.
They did? Well, then maybe they earned the title!
And the Mohawk, Sac and Fox etc etc. and the last battle of the Indian wars at Sugar Point Leech Lake 1898 where the Pillager Band of Ojibwe defeated the 3rd US Infantry.
Ok fair enough. It looks like I'll have the time for the next few months.
They beat the most powerful tribe on the plains! I have to find this out.
A few points that the governor is/has overlooked.
1. Public Law 83-280 (commonly referred to as Public Law 280 or PL 280) was a transfer of legal authority (jurisdiction) from the federal government to state governments which significantly changed the division of legal authority among tribal, federal, and state governments. Congress gave six states (five states initially - California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin; and then Alaska upon statehood) extensive criminal and civil jurisdiction over tribal lands within the affected states (the so-called "mandatory states"). Public Law 280 also permitted the other states to acquire jurisdiction at their option. SD is NOT a PL-280 state and has no jurisdiction over Nations/Tribal lands.
2. The Supreme Court has observed that "Indian tribes still possess those aspects of sovereignty not withdrawn by treat or statute, or by implication as a necessary result of their dependent status (United States v. Wheeler 435 U.S. 313, 323(1978)).
3. When a tribal nation exercises jurisdiction, "it does so as part of its retained sovereignty and not as an arm of the Federal Government" (United States v. Lara, 541 U.S. 193, 210 (2004)).
4. Tribal powers are inherent rather than derived from the Federal government, and Indian nations possess all powers of a sovereign government except as limited to lawful federal authority (Federal Indian Law, Felix Cohen, 402(1), p. 221, 2005)).
5. Indian nations have sole responsibility for protection of their lands, government and their peoples within their nation unless prohibited by Congressional Act.
The Sioux are conducting COVID-19 testing at their nation's boundaries. If "visitors" are on state or Federal highways, the nation can ensure that the traveler's can not/do not stop or exit their mode of transportation within the boundaries of the nation without explicit authorization from the tribe. The governor nor her office can not tell non-tribal persons that they are allowed to stop/exit their mode of transportation within tribal boundaries without tribal authorization - and that is exactly what the Sioux are doing by conducting the testing within their tribal boundaries.
Good luck Gov, but I think you're gonna lose another one.
I think she loses too.
What I would like to know is why the alleged wealthy philanthropists in this country are not stepping up to help the Navajos and others that have little or no water that is needed? Where are Bill Gates, Bezos, and others with deep pockets and more money than they know what to do with? I guess they are just too selective with their pet charities.
Hate to say it but that is actually a good question.
There always seems to be a charity that can dig deep water wells and help people in other nations yet never seem to be any helping people in our own backyard.
These are the top 10 foundations and private enterprises that support NA's and have for decades.
Ford Foundation
NW Area Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
WK Kellogg Foundation
Alfred P Sloan Foundation
Marguerite Casey Foundation
Lannan Foundation
Bush Foundation
Enterprise MD.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
A bigger question is why hasn't the federal government honored their obligations to the tribes?
Bezos just donated $100 million to ''Feeding America'' which of course helps many tribes.
I forgot to add that my great-niece was part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Miliniual Scholars program and that supported her through both undergrad, grad, post grad including getting her PhD. She is now a professor at the University of Nebraska. Thanks to the Gates Foundation and is now giving back to the NA community.
" why hasn't the federal government honored their obligations" as required by the U.S. Constitution?
Our constitution declares a treaty to be the law of the land. It is, consequently, to be regarded in courts of justice as equivalent to an act of the legislature, whenever it operates of itself, without the aid of any legislative provision. But when the terms of the stipulation import a contract—when either of the parties engages to perform a particular act, the treaty addresses itself to the political, not the judicial department; and the legislature must execute the contract, before it can become a rule for the court ( Foster v. Neilson, 27 U.S. (2 Pet.) 253 , 313–14 (1829). See T HE FEDERALIST No. 75 (J. Cooke ed. 1961), 504–505).
The U.S. is well known for breaking treaties either before or after the treaty is/was to take effect. Of the 276 + treaties between the U.S. and the Indian tribes, the U.S. has violated every treaty ratified and did not ratify treaties, made in good faith between the affected tribes and the U.S. - example - 12 treaties between the Indian tribes in California and the U.S. government.
It was a rhetorical question 1st and I completely agree with your comment. The treaty being the law of the land doesn't seem to apply to Native Nations.
''Trail of Broken Treaties''
I thank you for the information and it was informative, but I was referring specifically to the Navajo and other tribe's water crisis going on now. They need help now and we both know the federal government has three speeds on things like this: Slow, slower, and not at all!
Water rights have been a huge problem for decades in the SW with Native Tribes.
Here are a couple of things to consider regarding water on the rez. There are over 500 abandoned uranium mines on the rez and much of the water tested is contaminated.
In 1979 the largest radioactive spill in US history took place at Church Rock NM on the Navajo rez. To this day it still hasn't been cleaned up. It is now a ''Super Fund Site''. Which added to the contamination of many water sources.
Of course, both the abandoned mines and the spill were the US government fault but they do not seem to think that a lack of water is a problem and IMO, they will never address it.
A few years ago when the King Gold mine spill poisoned the river and destroyed many Navajo farms the fed's sent in tankers of water to help the Navajo. The problem was the first 18 tankers had had gas in them and were not cleaned out before the water was put in them...FUBAR. As a side note, the Navajo Nation is suing the EPA for the CF with the gold mine and the agencies' lack of response.
So we are left with a series of bad choices. The feds which will never respond to this or we have private donations trying to dig wells in areas that are contaminated. Another problem is that the rez is so vast and the towns are quite small that in addition to a well they would have to be a complete infrastructure program.
It seems that without a huge investment by the feds nothing is going to happen.
And yes, that really pisses me off.