Field Notes

Thank You
You brought clean, hot and cold running water to Rose Mae’s family and completely transformed their lives.
When we imagine life without clean, running water, we often think of communities that barely resemble our own. But right here in the United States, more than 2 million people still don’t have running water.
Because of you, Rose Mae isn’t one of them.
Rose Mae and her son Henry live in a house near Continental Divide without running water. For their water supply, Rose Mae relied on hauling buckets of water from St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School.
The newly installed home water system has changed Rose Mae’s life by no longer needing to haul water for daily tasks like cleaning her home, washing dishes, and cooking a meal. She is able to use the money she is now saving to pay for expenses like food and bills. Most importantly, Rose Mae is able to spend more time doing what she enjoys most, being with her son and their pets, and listening to KGAK radio station.
Rose Mae is very grateful to all of the donors who contributed to making running water a reality in her home.
Welcome to Northwestern New Mexico, just off of Route 66 near the Continental Divide. Rose Mae and her family call this beautiful place home.
Town/Chapter: Thoreau
State: New Mexico
Coordinates: 35.653661, -108.028822
Installed: November 7, 2019
Technology: Home Water System
Water Source: Truck
Local Partner: St. Bonaventure School
Every DIGDEEP project is designed for the family and community it serves. Our clients contribute their own time and resources during installation and are trained to use and maintain the equipment we install. We use simple technology with locally-available parts, and we’re constantly available to make repairs. We take a Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) that measures the way water access achieves other key goals like health, gender equity, and access to education.
Navajo are 67 times more likely than other Americans to live without running water or a toilet. That's an injustice.

more than 2 million americans without running water or plumbing

about 1/3 of navajo families haul water home every day

navajo pay 67x more for the water they haul vs. piped water
Our neighbors without running water wake up and collect water from a source outside their home, buying it in bottles or fetching it in buckets. When desperate, some haul water from unsafe sources contaminated with bacteria, arsenic or even uranium.
Many Navajo worry that they will never get running water, but when they hear about DigDeep, they know there is hope.
Our Navajo Water Project is a community-managed utility alternative that brings hot and cold running water to homes without access to water or sewer lines. It's the first system of its kind in the United States.
How it works:
wells
we develop new sources where water is pumped, treated and stored locally
trucks
we deliver water in food grade trucks to hundreds of families living close to each source
water systems
our home water systems store 1200 gallons of water underground and use solar power to pump it inside
community
the entire project is guided by a council of clients and local leaders
It costs $53.21 for us to deliver water to Rose Mae's family every month.
You can sponsor that amount every month, make a new gift to a family in need, or even give in someone's name. There are hundreds of families like this one waiting for a water system of their own.
100% of your gift will fund a water project.
We’re so glad you trusted us with your hard earned resources; they’re going to make an incredible difference in Rose Mae’s life. On behalf of the entire DigDeep family and the communities we serve, thank you.
Give clean, running water.