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navajowater 145909

Raymond Knight works in the Grand Canyon during the week, helping with mule trains carrying supplies. On weekends, he hooks a trailer to his pick-up and carries water to family and friends. On one recent weekend, he ferried the tank back and forth between a ranch, where people had gathered to brand cattle. “They use it up pretty fast,” he said. . Water haulers haul because the Navajo Nation lacks adequate, clean water and the infrastructure to deliver it. The reservation lies between three major rivers — the San Juan, the Colorado and the Little Colorado — but the tribe still relies mostly on groundwater. Drilling a well is easier and cheaper than building a pipeline. Not all the wells produce usable water. Many dry up in a drought. Windmills break down, often for weeks at a time. As a result it's not uncommon for people to drive 30 miles or more to find water.

Filename
navajowater08.jpg
Copyright
Mark Henle
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3504x2336 / 3.9MB
Contained in galleries
Water/Southwest
Raymond Knight works in the Grand Canyon during the week, helping with mule trains carrying supplies. On weekends, he hooks a trailer to his pick-up and carries water to family and friends. On one recent weekend, he ferried the tank back and forth between a ranch, where people had gathered to brand cattle. “They use it up pretty fast,” he said. . Water haulers haul because the Navajo Nation lacks adequate, clean water and the infrastructure to deliver it. The reservation lies between three major rivers — the San Juan, the Colorado and the Little Colorado — but the tribe still relies mostly on groundwater. Drilling a well is easier and cheaper than building a pipeline. Not all the wells produce usable water. Many dry up in a drought. Windmills break down, often for weeks at a time. As a result it's not uncommon for people to drive 30 miles or more to find water.
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