"University of Arizona Project Could Bring Clean Water To Navajos"

"Instead of going straight to the faucet, many Navajos in northeastern Arizona have to drive 40 miles to haul water from a well back to their homes.

And it’s not by choice, said John Leeper, director of the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources. Almost a third of the Nation’s 200,000 inhabitants do not have direct access to clean water.

A recent study by the University of Arizona’s Institute of the Environment showed that well water taken from rural parts of the reservation has unsafe concentrations of uranium and arsenic — two elements known to increase the likelihood of developing cancer. In addition, the water has a high saline content, which can lead to upset stomachs and dehydration."

Will Ferguson reports for the Green Valley News March 2, 2011.