Changing Access to Clean Drinking Water

In the U.S., 1.7 Million Don't Have Access to Clean Drinking Water, this Grandma Is Changing That

Darlene Arviso's mornings begin early, usually before the sun rises over the high desert plateau of the Navajo Nation in the northwest corner of New Mexico. Parkinga bright yellow, 3,500-gallon tank underneathSt. Bonaventure Indian Mission's steel water tower in Thoreau (which the locals pronounce "threw"), she fills it to the brim and sets off on 75-mile drives over mostly unpaved roads to the isolated families without running water.

A hardworking 50-year-old grandmother, Arviso visits more than 250 families on the reservation, leaving each with just enough water to last a month: about 7 gallons per day to be used fordrinking, cooking and cleaning. It's far less than the80 to 100 gallonsthat the typical American consumes daily, but it's the vital help that reservation householdsdepend on to survive. Without her, many would rely on snowmelt and rainwater collected in livestock troughs, purchase expensive bottled water from the store or risk drinking muddy, uranium-contaminated groundwater.

"Sometimes they have to go up to Gallup, N.M., but they have to take that water about 60 miles.St. Bonaventure Mission, that's the only place nearby for people to get their water," explains Arviso, who's been making deliveries for the church for seven years. "They depend on me for the water."

People often think that access to clean drinking water is a problem only in developing countries, but nearly 40 percent of the 173,000 Navajo tribe members don't have a tap or a toilet in their home, says George McGraw, founder and executive director ofDIGDEEP, the only global water organization with projects in the U.S. that has partnered with St. Bonaventure Mission to bring water to the Navajo Nation.

"Generally, people are aware that almost a billion people don't have access to clean drinking water worldwide, but what most people don't know is that 1.7 million people live without it right here in the United States," he says.

McGraw's nonprofit is working toward long-term solutions by drilling wells in the rural areas where Navajo families have set down roots for generations. DIGDEEP found clean water 1,800 feet below ground in Smith Lake, a dozen miles north of Thoreau. It'splanning to wrap up construction on the $300,000 dig within the next nine months, meaning Arviso can refill her truck without trekking back to the Catholic mission's tank. Since impassable, snow-covered roads often prevent Arviso frommakingdeliveries in the winter, a deep well and network of pipes shouldprovide a reliable supply of water throughout the year. It'd also provide a more reasonable amount of water — closer to 40 or 50 gallons— per day.

Source: NationSwell

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Taxonomy

• Water Supply
• Water Management
• Drinking Water