One Navajo community’s journey from hauling jugs to turning on the tap

Water is finally flowing in the tiny, remote Diné (Navajo) community of Westwater, Utah—just east of Blanding. Yes, that’s right: in 2025, there are still communities in the United States that don’t have running water. Hard to believe, but it’s true.

For decades, many Diné families have started their day by driving up to 50 miles—just to fill jugs, milk bottles, or whatever containers they had with enough water for the day. Every drop brought back was for life’s most basic needs: brushing teeth, washing dishes, cooking meals, or the simple comfort of a hot shower. Something so many of us take for granted remained out of reach.

Westwater, home to just under 40 people, sits just across the wash from Blanding—but it’s generations behind. The community didn’t even receive electricity until 2022. Before that, light came from candles, kerosene lanterns, or the rare solar panel. At night, beneath the crystal-clear stars unpolluted by city lights, residents could see the glow of Blanding, just beyond reach—a daily reminder of the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

One elder, Mrs. Cly, described the feeling of no longer having to ration battery power in case of cloudy days. She looks forward to something she’s never had in her home: a warm shower. She and her husband have lived here since the 1940s, raising a family without the basic services most of us consider fundamental. Now in their 80s, they’re on the cusp of a major life change—but there’s still work to do. Their home needs a bathroom and a wastewater system to make running water truly usable.

There was one major obstacle: the rocky terrain on the Cly’s land was thought to be too close to bedrock to support an on-site wastewater system. This meant they might have to move—an unthinkable prospect at their age, after a lifetime in their home. Fortunately, thanks to members of the project’s technical advisory committee—including Dennis Gunn from the Rural Water Association of Utah—a suitable location was identified right on their lot. That meant the Clys could stay where they are and still gain access to this life-altering resource. Coordination continues to bring these final pieces into place.

Community leader Thomas Chee is filled with hope. He remembers growing up in Westwater, climbing the walls of the wash, and cherishing the rugged beauty of this land. A successful concrete contractor who’s built structures throughout Utah, Chee has returned to raise his family and give back to the place that raised him.

This moment was decades in the making. It was only through the unwavering efforts of people like Ryan Barton, Chief Hydrologist for the Diné Nation, that the water is—finally—flowing.

This is why I left my mainstream career to join Rural Water. I can’t even describe the feeling when we found a viable spot for the Cly’s wastewater system. Knowing they didn’t have to leave their home—that made everything worth it. - Dennis Gunn, RWAU

If there’s a need, there’s a way—and we find it.

The work accomplished in Westwater was also featured in The Colorado Sun. Their in-depth article includes additional perspectives and powerful photos from the project.

Read it here: coloradosun.com/2025/03/23/westwater-utah-navajo-nation-community-running-water