Authors 
HEATHER TANANA 
Assistant Professor  
University of Utah

Water is Life
Clean Water for Native American Tribes

heather tanana for academic minute

Water is life. Every household in America needs and is entitled to clean and safe 
water access. Yet, the magnitude of lack of clean water access in Indian country 
is significant and startling. Our report uncovers the four main factors that have 
exacerbated gaps in tribal drinking water access, and in turn hurt public health 
and economic growth:

First, Lack of piped water services—Native American households are more likely 
to lack piped water services than any other racial group. Navajo residents, in 
particular, are 67 times more likely than other Americans to live without access 
to running water. Hauling water is not only more expensive than piped water, 
but also increased the risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic.

The second component is inadequate water quality—poor quality is pervasive in 
Indian Country. The Hopi Tribe, which has struggled with arsenic contamination 
since the 1960s, estimates that approximately 75 percent of people living on 
Hopi land are drinking contaminated water.

Third, deteriorating or inadequate water infrastructure contributes to water 
insecurity —infrastructure investments haven’t kept up with need, resulting in 
interruptions in service and potential contamination of supplies. Some tribes 
have water systems dating back to the late 1800s. Native Americans are one 
of the youngest and fastest growing populations. Yet, because of deteriorating 
infrastructure, Tribes are struggling to support their growing communities.

Finally, many tribes are encountering challenges in supporting operation 
and maintenance costs putting existing water systems are at risk. Additional 
resources and tribal capacity are necessary to avoid future disruptions to water 
service in the community.

Now's the time for the federal government to keep its promises to Indian country 
and ensure that all Americans have access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking 
water.

Originally published:  Academic Minute | Clean Water for Native American Tribes (insidehighered.com)

E N V I R O N M E N T A L  P O L I C Y

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Originally published:  Academic Minute | Clean Water for Native American Tribes (insidehighered.com)

T A N A N A  |  W A T E R  I S  L I F E

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