DigDeep and the Navajo Water Project
Allen Salway is particularly passionate about DigDeep and the Navajo Water Project, which has become one of his main focuses for activism. These projects, which Salway has collaborated with, focus on the prominent issue of Indigenious people lacking access to clean water. The cause primarily stems from uranium contamination and lack of infrastructure on tribal lands. DigDeep created The Navajo Water Project to provide water systems and wells and distribute clean water in order to combat this problem.
Roughly 1.6 million Americans do not have running water for showers, baths, and their toilet. Millions more than that do not have access to clean drinking water. DigDeep is a non-profit human rights organization that focuses on providing these essential functions. This organization does more than just donate clean water, they provide long term solutions by helping communities build low cost water systems and teaching them how to manage the systems.
DigDeep as a company views access to clean water as a human rights issue. Part of their mission is that every American should have equal access to clean running water and that communities have the responsibility to invest in that goal. DigDeep recognizes the feasibility of their goal lies in transparency, education, and sustainability in their work with communities to implement water and electrical systems. In order to ensure long term benefits DigDeep adapts the project to fit the experiences and resources of the community so those families can maintain the system and use it on their own once it has been completed.
The Navajo Water Project is a subset of the DigDeep organization that specifically addresses Native peoples’ lack of access to water and electricity. The organization works with families on tribal lands across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah to bring them clean, running water and electricity. The project was started in 2014 after realizing the disparity of Indeginous families that lack water. Navajo families are 67 times more likely to live without running water and 40% of Navajo families still do not have a sink or toilet. They also pay much higher rates for the water they haul to their homes, which they frequently must travel hours to get.
The Navajo Water Project supports Native communities by using 100% of public donations to fund water access projects along with selling goods made by Navajo people with 100% of proceeds going to the projects. Salway is an ambassador for DigDeep. He has held several events in collaboration with the organization raising over $100,000 and providing water and electricity to more than 85 families. Once funded, DigDeep provides sources where water can be pumped, treated and stored locally, they provide home water systems that have a storage capacity of 1,200 gallons for hot and cold water, and they deliver trucks of clean water to families nearby at each project.
Another important facet of this work, is education because the DigDeep organization believes that sustainability is key in regards to water resources. The organization works to help people develop a new understanding of their relationship with water. DigDeep wants to ensure that the world's finite clean water resources do not disappear through education about preventable water waste.
