Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency • Public Water Systems Supervision Program
Guidelines for Hauling and Transporting Regulated Water for Human Consumption
Hauling drinking water has been a common practice on the Navajo Nation for many years. The Indian Health Service though Public Law 86.121 has been working to provide access to safe drinking water since the early 1970’s yet many Navajo families lacked indoor plumbing for many years. The Indian Health Service states “as a result of developing and installing sanitation facilities, the rate of for infant mortality, the morality rate for gastroenteritis and other environmental related diseases have been dramatically reduced, by about 80 percent since 1973,” for Native American and Alaskan Native Villages. A study conducted by Navajo Nation EPA (NNEPA) in 2004 concluded that, 30 percent of Navajo families were without access to drinking water. Many Navajo families hauled their drinking water from regulated and unregulated water sources. The chapter houses or the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority provides “regulated” watering points where many families are able to haul their drinking water. The water from theses sources is sampled regularly and is chlorinated to ensure bacteriological quality. Many families also haul their drinking water from “unregulated” sources; these include livestock wells, community wells, springs, or other water sources that are not sampled regularly or are the water chlorinated.
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