Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Westwater, a small Navajo community, now has running water in homes.
- This development followed collaboration between the Navajo Nation, Utah, and others.
- Residents still seek wastewater solutions but celebrate the significant water access milestone.
WESTWATER, San Juan County — For generations, a small Navajo community in San Juan County has lived without something most of us couldn't imagine going a single day without, running water in our homes. However, now everything has changed for the small town of Westwater.
No one knows how long water has flowed down the creek between Westwater and Blanding. However, Westwater Community President Thomas Chee knows he's been going there for decades.
"Oh yeah, I was just down there the other day," Chee said.
That's not because he likes this spot. It's because he needed water for his home.
"People have been doing it for many generations," Chee said.
Chee lives in Westwater, a small community near Blanding where homes don't have running water. That is, until now.
Bessie Begay remembers the first time her faucet actually worked. It was just a few weeks ago.
"'Is it ready now?' I kept asking them, 'Is it ready?' and he goes, "Well, try it," Begay said. "So, I go and try it, and I say, "Yes, it's working."
Thanks to a cooperation between the Navajo Nation, Utah and others, about 20 of the two dozen homes in Westwater are now hooked up to a new water facility in Blanding.
A ceremony was held Friday in Blanding to mark the occasion.
"You should not be forgotten, and I want to tell you, you aren't," Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said at the ceremony.
Even though Westwater is owned by the Navajo Nation, it's not on reservation land, which made the responsibility of getting things done a challenge.
The town just got electricity three years ago.
"There was a lot of people that wanted us to move off of here, but we have ties to this land," Chee said. "So, that's why we had to remain here and tough it out."
Now, things are a little easier.
Even though Chee won't have to make the hike to the creek anymore, he said he'll still do it. For him, blessing the water is just as important as drinking it.
"It's been a long road, but we finally succeeded," he said.
Residents said they still need help with wastewater and coming up with a long-term solution, but, for now, they're happy. While many of us take running water for granted, in Westwater, people said it's something they will never do.
