Working for Water /working-for-water For decades, many tribal communities have lacked clean, affordable drinking water. And that impacts everything from childhood health to economic development. This series from the Mountain West News Bureau explores those issues – and potential solutions – along the Rio Grande and beyond. It's supported by The Water Desk, an initiative from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism. en-US Copyright Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:47:45 GMT A New Mexico Pueblo’s antiquated irrigation system is being tested by drought, wildfires /news/2023-06-01/a-new-mexico-pueblos-antiquated-irrigation-system-is-being-tested-by-drought-wildfires Water is scarce in much of the Mountain West. That’s why, every spring, one tribe spends days cleaning ditches that are vital to irrigating their farmlands. But aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change are making it harder for farmers to get enough water – even after the cleanings. Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:47:45 GMT /news/2023-06-01/a-new-mexico-pueblos-antiquated-irrigation-system-is-being-tested-by-drought-wildfires Kaleb Roedel What a water pipeline will mean to the residents of To’Hajiilee /news/2023-05-08/what-a-water-pipeline-will-mean-to-the-residents-of-tohajiilee As residents of a small community on the Navajo Nation eagerly await construction of a 7-mile water pipeline from the Rio Grande, they imagine the luxuries of running water. Mon, 08 May 2023 18:33:12 GMT /news/2023-05-08/what-a-water-pipeline-will-mean-to-the-residents-of-tohajiilee Emma Gibson Decades of effort have a Navajo community on the verge of clean water access /news/2023-05-05/decades-of-effort-have-a-navajo-community-on-the-verge-of-clean-water-access Construction will soon begin on a 7-mile pipeline that will deliver water from the Rio Grande to the small Navajo community of To’Hajiilee, where the water's so bad the local government trucks in bottled water for residents. Fri, 05 May 2023 22:49:19 GMT /news/2023-05-05/decades-of-effort-have-a-navajo-community-on-the-verge-of-clean-water-access Emma Gibson Researchers work to quantify the Navajo Nation's water woes one household at a time /news/2023-04-25/researchers-work-to-quantify-the-navajo-nations-water-woes-one-household-at-a-time The Diné Household Water Survey, a first-of-its-kind two-year project led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, aims to accurately quantify the number of households without access to safe drinking water. Tue, 25 Apr 2023 19:01:55 GMT /news/2023-04-25/researchers-work-to-quantify-the-navajo-nations-water-woes-one-household-at-a-time Emma VandenEinde ‘An upstream battle’: New Mexico Pueblo works to secure water rights after decades of efforts /2023-04-24/an-upstream-battle-new-mexico-pueblo-works-to-secure-water-rights-after-decades-of-efforts For 40 years, the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico has been working to access the water they feel they’re owed by the federal government. And those efforts are more urgent than ever as climate change and development continue to affect their water supplies. Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:52:52 GMT /2023-04-24/an-upstream-battle-new-mexico-pueblo-works-to-secure-water-rights-after-decades-of-efforts Kaleb Roedel Groups work to ditch the soda in tribal communities, where water scarcity feeds childhood obesity /news/2023-04-24/groups-work-to-ditch-the-soda-in-tribal-communities-where-water-scarcity-feeds-childhood-obesity In the Southwest, tribal health organizations are finding ways to counter the factors – including the lack of access to clean drinking water – that contribute to high rates of childhood obesity in Native communities. Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:46:16 GMT /news/2023-04-24/groups-work-to-ditch-the-soda-in-tribal-communities-where-water-scarcity-feeds-childhood-obesity Emma VandenEinde