NTUA:
Water quality on reservation varies

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — In 2006, a water well in Navajo, N.M., within the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority system was found to be susceptible to radionuclide contamination and was shut down.

In Window Rock, the water from one well currently is being blended with two other nearby water wells to dilute the uranium concentration. Historical results show water in the well is below 50 percent of the maximum contaminant level for uranium.

NTUA has just released its 2008 Consumer Confidence Reports for the 89 public water systems it operates and maintains throughout the Navajo Nation.

The above information is from the report on the Fort Defiance/Window Rock/Hunter’s Point/Navajo public water system. Though uranium is a concern in the Window Rock well, the water system itself is in compliance with federal and Navajo Nation standards.

Customers on this system will receive a copy of the report in the mail. Information for all other NTUA water systems is available upon request.

The exclusive reports detail the water quality for each water system and, as required by federal and Navajo law, are made available to public water customers as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

“The CCRs provide an opportunity for water customers to understand exactly where their drinking water is coming from,” said Prestene Garnenez, supervisor of the NTUA Environmental Compliance and Laboratory Department in Fort Defiance, which periodically tests the drinking water for all NTUA systems.

NTUA provides drinking water from several different sources. The majority of communities receive their drinking water from groundwater, which is pumped from water wells ranging from a few feet to hundreds of feet in depth, and treated to become drinking water.

Some communities receive their drinking water from streams and springs. The water is treated just as if it were groundwater, to become drinking water. Other communities receive their drinking water from the San Juan River, which is treated by the city of Farmington.

The Fort Defiance/Window Rock/Hunter’s Point/Navajo public water system serves those communities as well as St. Michaels, Tse Bonito, and Navajo, N.M. The system receives its drinking water from 21 local wells. The water is stored in 19 local storage tanks and then distributed to residences or businesses.

The system has 3,567 service connections which provide water to approximately 13,198 NTUA customers. NTUA routinely collects 15 bacteriological samples every month from residences and businesses within the distribution system.

Garnenez said the reports hopefully will help the consumer gain an understanding of where their water comes from, how NTUA tests the water, and the frequency of testing.
The reports also feature information about the water system’s compliance with Navajo and federal standards as well as educational information on nitrate, arsenic, lead, or uranium in areas where those contaminants may be of concern.

NTUA is required to perform bacteriological and chemical analyses. “The bacteriological testing is required on a monthly basis for each of our 89 water systems,” Garnenez said. The chemical analysis covers hundreds of chemical contaminants such as minerals, pesticides or radiochemicals.

“If anything is tested out of compliance, we are obligated to notify the customers immediately,” she said. “We want our customers to know that we’re providing the safest drinking water possible, so we do encourage them to learn more about their local water system by reviewing their 2008 Consumer Confidence Reports.”

Information: NTUA customers may contact their local district and sub-offices for a copy of their Consumer Confidence Report, or the Environmental Compliance Laboratory will provide a copy upon request. For information, call (928) 729-6221.