53-10 Sustaining Indigenous Life & Culture with Water & Wash

Session: Community Engaged Research for Environmental Sustainability and Community Resilience

Presenting Author:

Marsha MONESTERSKY

Authors:

MONESTERSKY, Marsha J¹, BEDONIE, Fabian², SIEGEL, Malcolm³, SIEGEL, Leora Jaeger⁴, ROYCHOWDHURY, Abhishek⁵, CARVER, Monique⁶, SCOTT, Kristy⁷, YECHIELI, Amir⁸, MONESTERSKY-SEBASTIAN, Rita⁹

(1) Forgotten People, Kykotsmovi, AZ, USA, (2) Forgotten People, Kykotsmovi, AZ, USA, (3) Water Resources Action Project, Sandia Park, NM, USA, (4) Water Resources Action Project, Sandia Park, NM, USA, (5) Environmental Science & Natural Resources, Navajo Technical University, Crownpoint, NM, USA; Natural and Applied Sciences, Bentley University, Waltham, MA, USA, (6) Environmental Science & Natural Resources, Navajo Technical University, Crownpoint, NM, USA, (7) World Emergency Relief, San Dimas, CA, USA; Native American Emergency Relief, San Dimas, CA, USA, (8) Water Resources Action Project, Jerusalem, Israel, (9) Forgotten People, Campton, NH, USA,

Abstract:

On the Navajo Nation, Indigenous communities suffer from extreme poverty, industrial contamination, and decades-long US governmental policies prohibiting all infrastructure development which have denied access to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene). Although it is recognized that about 30% of people on the Navajo Nation lack access to clean drinking water, in certain areas, nearly 100% of the population does not have a reliable and safe supply of drinking water.

Our project is a unique partnership between industry, academia, and non-profit organizations involving the coordination of water hauling, rainwater harvesting, and filtration to address the water needs of isolated families on the Navajo Nation.  These efforts are not just facilitating access to a commodity but rather making it possible for a culture to survive.

The families assisted by this project live in remote locations and practice a subsistence lifestyle that has changed little in hundreds of years. Their culture is based on ties to their traditional land, but their ability to remain there is threatened by a lack of access to safe water.  Traditional water sources have been reduced by climate change and often contaminated by uranium, arsenic, or microbial sources.

The solution deployed in this project includes a rooftop rainwater harvesting and filtration system designed by the Water Resources Action Project (WRAP). The DinéWRAPapp is used on phones, tablets, and computers by project participants to record measurements needed to determine if all components of the rainwater system are functioning properly. While the harvesting and filtration systems are low-tech, the families need to follow a multi-step protocol. To make the project sustainable requires earning their trust and integrating them into every part of the process.

Forgotten People (FP), a Diné grassroots organization, has managed community relationships and assisted in the construction.  They have built trust over decades by delivering water, firewood, donating supplies, and providing WASH at cultural gatherings. Students from Navajo Technical University (NTU) and the STAR School helped distribute surveys to identify system recipients. Native American Emergency Relief (NAER) oversaw project implementation and support, ensuring the collaboration of partners toward improved water access and health for Navajo families.

While this work presents unique challenges, a partnership between corporate, academic, and grassroots organizations can transform these challenges into solutions.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7587

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