Navajo Nation fights for water access

500 home water system installations since its formation in 2014 in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Individuals living in the Navajo Nation without indoor plumbing often have to drive to designated water fill stations and haul containers back to their homes, a process that can be taxing.

Throughout the Navajo Nation, studies estimate more than 30% of households do not have access to running water. Additionally, water scarcity can be exacerbated by mining enterprises’ contamination of natural water sources.

While Navajo Nation leaders fight for quantified water claims, Indigenous-led nonprofits are working to increase water access and protect crucial aquifers — layers of rock that release water into wells and springs — from industrial exploitation.

The Navajo Water Project (NWP), part of the DigDeep organization, is an initiative to provide clean, temperature-controlled water to Diné families living without indoor plumbing. The program has completed more than

Katie Janss, the program operations manager for NWP, said its services are intended to alleviate the burdens people without running water experience. Janss said some who have access to running water take it for granted.

“It just takes a lot of time out of your day to have to complete this extra chore where you get in the car, grab your buckets and carry eight pounds per gallon just to drink, bathe and clean your clothes,” Janss said. “It’s not good for your body, and it’s not good for your vehicle.”

The water system installation process begins with identifying and surveying homes in need. Local governments and municipalities collaborate with NWP and connect them with households requesting their services. Depending on how many homes are in need and their individual circumstances, NWP assesses viable methods of accessing and distributing water.

Due to the depth of underground water sources and the high costs of commissioning new wells, water is often accessed by repurposing preexisting agricultural wells or filling up water trucks at utility watering points on the Navajo Nation.

Technicians then install a 1,200-gallon water tank and ensure the home has a functioning sink, water heater, filter and drain line — all within 24 hours. Once this process is complete, water trucks will visit each home monthly or by request to refill the tank and make any necessary repairs.

Increasing the accessibility of running water ensures elders, larger families and those without transportation have access to water without having to make hauling trips. This way, Janss said individuals will not have to leave culturallysignificant land due to a lack of available resources.

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Whenever I look back at my life, I always associate different years with the music I listened to at the time. With a huge chunk of those years dedicated to One Direction, per my fangirl phase (which will make its return once the band finally reunites), there has been one artist who has sat like an angel on my shoulder, ready to transport me into her world: Lorde.

From listening to “Team” as my mom dropped me off in middle school, to silently contemplating my life while listening to “Liability” on the bus home from high school, even blasting “Solar Power” on the weekend it was released as I moved into my college apartment, Lorde has been with me as I’ve grown up over the last 10 years.

So, is this basically a love letter to Lorde? Yeah, it really is.

When I finished my junior year of college in spring 2022, I traveled to Seattle and finally got to see her in concert for the first time and it was an ethereal experience. On stage was the woman who, so perfectly, had been able to put into words some of the intense feelings that come when we experience life as it happens.

I know everyone goes through different journeys in life, but with her music, I feel less alone. Despite our journeys not looking the same, some of the emotions we experience might be.

MARIAN HERNANDEZ ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

As Lorde releases music, I feel like it’s been able to help me transform myself into someone new, into someone who has learned from the mistakes of their past-self and grown from it. But recently, it’s feeling like I’ve been in a rut, especially with commencement coming up and not knowing what my future holds. I’m feeling melodramatic.

But, I want to know what it’s like to be “Solar Power.” With its warmth, it feels like a perfect place to be. I want to reach the state of mind I hear in

“Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” but the truth is, I haven’t seen it all and I’m still trying to trust all the rays of light that might cross the path on It’s a process and I can’t rush it. When the time comes, I’ll fall. But for now, I’ll be dancing in a world alone, because what the f— are perfect places anyway?

Thank you for reading!

Freshman year was hard on me as it is for many people. Coming up to NAU, I was only two hours from home, but it felt like I was across the country.

I wasn’t adjusting well, so I left town as often as possible.

My mom used to come and get me almost every other Friday and my dad would drive me back up on Sunday. When I wasn’t home, talking to them frequently on the phone or texting my sister and brother helped me get through the tough time.

They always supported me and talked to me when I needed it and told me it would get better. I didn’t believe them at first, but I’m glad they kept saying it.

The second semester started off well, but then the pandemic started, and we were home for the rest of the semester.

The next year, everything was online and I lived off campus. I felt so isolated from college life and campus. I rarely saw my friends or went to campus for anything.

Things changed when I got a job on campus in January 2021. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was more than a job. It gave me a reason to go to campus, and it gave me a chance to interact with customers and the people I worked with.

I started at a bit of a rocky time when a lot of people were quitting, and after working there for over two years, I have seen a lot of people come and go.

Some of my other coworkers, I have worked with the whole time, or most of the time.

My coworkers have become some of my closest friends, and I consider us a family. Though work is work and it isn’t always fun, I could always count on them for a good laugh.

We were able to share things and listen and support each other, whether we were dealing with something school related or personal. During a time when everyone felt so alone, we had each other, and that still continues today.

Overall, I want to thank my actual family and my work family for getting me through the hard parts of college. I will never forget everything they did for me and how they shaped my life.

Thank you for reading!

With graduation only a few weeks away, the decision of what to do next with my life creeps closer. There are so many paths I could take, but the first thing I decide to do will impact where I end up further down the road. Do I go to graduate school? Do I start internships in my selected field? Or do I take a one-way ticket to volunteer abroad? Maybe I’ll ignore responsibilities and take a road trip across the United States and sleep in my car for a while.

I am currently in school for photography and want to continue with it as a career, but now as I graduate, there is pressure to pick which type of photography to focus on. Part of why I love photography is having a variety of subjects and the excitement of facing new challenges. I am interested in photojournalism and documentary work because it involves quick problem-solving and finding elements I can control in any environment. I also dearly want to get into the performing arts world, possibly as a concert or theater photographer. I know my future could involve all sorts of different types of photography, but which to pick first?

Besides career choices, I also want to leave my home state because there are so many locations in the world that I wish to explore. I spent some time abroad and got a taste of international travel, so now I yearn to visit a multitude of countries. This travel also made me more curious about what beauty lies within the U.S., especially because I am from the desert and I want to immerse myself in luscious, green environments.

MEGAN FORD-FYFFE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

I am lucky to have so many options available for my future. I know I want to spend my twenties as a trial period by trying new things and figuring out what it is I genuinely want to do. I try to remind myself that I can change direction at any time, but sometimes the fear of getting stuck somewhere I don’t want to be, makes me overthink my decisions. I shall take a leap of faith and see where the wind takes me, despite limited money, plans and comfort. The future currently looks a bit cloudy, but it still shines bright.

Thank you for reading!

Writing has always come easily to me. It might be because I am a fast talker, or because there are constantly a million different dialogues in my head, but I have never struggled with putting words onto paper. Because I enjoyed writing so much in high school, I failed to consider it as an option for a major or career path. I was afraid of monetizing something I loved so much. I was afraid that I would begin to hate writing if I was doing it all the time.

Fast forward to now, I am about to finish a degree that almost entirely pertains to writing. My fears were incorrect. Changing my major to journalism was one of the best decisions I could have made.

Communication is something that I take very seriously. That might be a bit of a “duh” statement, we all communicate everyday with different people. However, I mean it as it sounds, I love communicating.

I have always loved writing because it offers another form to express my thoughts and emotions. Written language does not carry the same expression that verbal communication does, so writers are responsible for inserting emotion into their language.

Journalism scared me at first, because it comes with a lot of guidelines. AP Style, proper grammar and punctuation, story formatting — it all seemed a bit overwhelming initially.

HANNAH

ELSMORE MANAGING EDITOR

EMILY GERDES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Journalistic writing has taught me one thing I will never forget: Most stories are best told by the person who experienced them. Every individual has a capacity for storytelling, and most people are pretty willing to sit down and tell you their story. I am so grateful to do just that, to sit back and let someone talk. Everyone deserves to be listened to.

My journalism degree has shown me the power of combining storytelling and compassion. At first, all the rules that came with this style of writing irritated me, but now I understand their purpose. I am grateful to be able to write in a way that removes me from a story, to give individuals a moment to share what they are willing.

So, I guess the lesson I have learned is to never veer away from what brings me joy. If you are good at something, run with it, and never look back.

Thank you for reading!

Ablank document. I’ve been staring at a blank document for over a month knowing I am going to have to write my final letter from the editor. What a change from the very first time I wrote a letter from the editor.

It was March 2021, and it was my first time on The Lumberjack Editorial Board as assistant features editor. Very few people knew I was immunocompromised. I physically could not stop writing and ranting about life during lockdown. At this time, some of my friends were already back in college living their normal 20-year-old lives with much fewer restrictions than they should have been. All the while, I was stuck in my childhood bedroom literally counting down the days until I could get my second COVID-19 vaccination, so I could hug my grandma for the first time in over a year.

That letter from the editor was written in less than an hour, spanning over a page and turned into a rant about how much life sucks when you are a young adult with an autoimmune disease in a global pandemic.

The next few letters from the editor I wrote all encompassed a little update about my journey of being a college student and living with arthritis. I would send it to my family and my mom would always respond with dozens of red heart emojis and a “Thanks for the update” message with the caps lock on. Now, all I feel is nostalgia.

It was bittersweet to go back and read each of my letters from the editor and see how much I have changed and how the world has changed around me.

The growth I have experienced in every aspect of my life has been for the better, and I’m proud of how far I have come.

I would simply like to say thank you.

Thank you to The Lumberjack for giving me a home. Thank you to my friends for making endless memories with me. Thank you to the Media Innovation Center for providing me with a place to work on my essays until 3 a.m. with double-locked doors, giving my mother peace of mind. A special thanks to the School of Communication vending machines for the late-night candy bars, which I could not have made it to graduation without. Thank you to NAU for giving me enough free T-shirts to fill my entire closet. Thank you to the Milton Road Starbucks location for having the option to mobile order. Thank you to my family for supporting me and listening to my rants for the past four years.

Thank you to everyone else who has been a part of my life for the last four years.

Thank you for reading!

Across

3. Each time it rains, I become full

4. Light up the kiln; I’m the product

6. I provide classes and student housing. What building am I?

7. Babbitt is where you go to learn a new ____

Social Media

Down

1. Interested in the Lumberjack? Visit me!

2. Graduation is upon us; I am the trophy

5. Open spaces are hard to find, especially in here

8. You’re up at 7,000 feet. Why run here when the outdoors suffice?

Fax:

EXECUTIVE BOARD EDITORIAL STAFF VISUALS

Emily Gerdes, Editor-in-Chief

Hannah Elsmore, Managing Editor

Lydia Nelson, Director of Digital Content

Daisy Johnston, Copy Editor

Lian Muneno, Director of Print Design

Marley Green, Director of Marketing

Taylor Schwartz-Olson, News Editor

Tess Bandstra, Assistant News Editor

Emily Rehling, Opinion Editor

Halli Smith, Assistant Opinion Editor

Brisa Karow, Features Editor

Zachary Markewicz, Assistant Features Editor

Jessie McCann, Culture Editor

Marian Hernandez, Assistant Culture Editor

Noah Butler, Sports Editor

Nathan Ecker, Assistant Sports Editor

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Megan Ford-Fyffe, Director of Photography

Taylor McCormick, Assistant Director of Photography

John Chaides, Senior Photographer

Alexis Beaman, Director of Illustration

Jonah Graham, Co-Director of Multimedia

Liam Combs, Co-Director of Multimedia

Amirah Rogers, Director of Social Media

Faculty Advisers

Bree Burkitt, Faculty Adviser

David Harpster, Reporter Adviser

Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Emily Gerdes at eng66@nau.edu.

Northern Arizona University sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. We honor their past, present and future generations, who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.