Navajo Water Crisis Case Study
THE NAVAJO WATER CRISIS
By Chris Treat
Indigenous History in the US Since 1900
HIST 4023
Farina King
4/28/17
The Navajo have been faced with a water crisis and have been suffering with very little news coverage when compared to Flint, Michigan. Both cases are very unfortunate yet it seems that Flint, Michigan has received more coverage and even that is starting to die down without being resolved similar to the Navajo case. The Navajo case can be broken down in terms of time, conditions, and cost in order to gain a better idea about the case. First, the water crisis shall be looked at in terms of time. The thing that stood out to me the most as well as surprised me is that the Navajo have had to deal with a drought that has lasted …show more content…
From 2013-2015 the Navajo have faced declines in snowfall, surface water, and water supplies with the impact being sacred springs, medicinal plants, and animals disappearing or declining with dust storms increasing (Paskus). Alarmingly the Navajo have lost 30 lakes over the course of 3 decades, which equates to roughly losing one lake each year (Paskus). This results in animals dying where water used to be which not only affects the Navajo but also affects other animals as the predators not only lose water but also their sources of food (Paskus). The water that still remains is more than likely suffering from uranium poisoning which not only affects farmers and their livestock but also schools that have no other choice but to use the contaminated water (Swarner). The uranium poisoning is a result of the 15,000 uranium mines in the West with 75% of them located on Tribal land as well as Federal land (Swarner). To make matters even worse a test of the water near Sanders, Arizona revealed the water had a 47 parts per billion uranium level, the legal limit being 30 parts per billion, and has resulted in the Sanders Unified School District to have to stop using the well they draw water from and have to switch over to bottled water to prevent students and staff from having to drink the contaminated water (Swarner). It’s not just uranium that is poisoning the water but also coal and other mining resources as well as toxins such as arsenic, all of which can be found in the San Juan and Little Colorado rivers from which the Navajo draw water from
By Chris Treat
Indigenous History in the US Since 1900
HIST 4023
Farina King
4/28/17
The Navajo have been faced with a water crisis and have been suffering with very little news coverage when compared to Flint, Michigan. Both cases are very unfortunate yet it seems that Flint, Michigan has received more coverage and even that is starting to die down without being resolved similar to the Navajo case. The Navajo case can be broken down in terms of time, conditions, and cost in order to gain a better idea about the case. First, the water crisis shall be looked at in terms of time. The thing that stood out to me the most as well as surprised me is that the Navajo have had to deal with a drought that has lasted …show more content…
From 2013-2015 the Navajo have faced declines in snowfall, surface water, and water supplies with the impact being sacred springs, medicinal plants, and animals disappearing or declining with dust storms increasing (Paskus). Alarmingly the Navajo have lost 30 lakes over the course of 3 decades, which equates to roughly losing one lake each year (Paskus). This results in animals dying where water used to be which not only affects the Navajo but also affects other animals as the predators not only lose water but also their sources of food (Paskus). The water that still remains is more than likely suffering from uranium poisoning which not only affects farmers and their livestock but also schools that have no other choice but to use the contaminated water (Swarner). The uranium poisoning is a result of the 15,000 uranium mines in the West with 75% of them located on Tribal land as well as Federal land (Swarner). To make matters even worse a test of the water near Sanders, Arizona revealed the water had a 47 parts per billion uranium level, the legal limit being 30 parts per billion, and has resulted in the Sanders Unified School District to have to stop using the well they draw water from and have to switch over to bottled water to prevent students and staff from having to drink the contaminated water (Swarner). It’s not just uranium that is poisoning the water but also coal and other mining resources as well as toxins such as arsenic, all of which can be found in the San Juan and Little Colorado rivers from which the Navajo draw water from