Thirst For Justice

Native Water For Colonial Interests

In pre-colonial times, the Diné harvested rainwater and utilized the springs that bubbled up from the N-Aquifer. Under settler-colonialism, they were forcibly moved onto the newly created reservation in 1868. Despite government promises to provide them with seeds, tools, and adequate water for farming in exchange for ending their nomadic lifestyle, they were left out of early 20th-century water allocation negotiations among the new American states.

Peabody Energy acquired 64,000 acres for water use and mineral rights in the 1960’s under a lease with the Navajo Nation,⁶ constructing coal mines and pipelines. According to grassroots organization Tó Nizhóní Áníi (Sacred Water Speaks), which advocates for protecting Black Mesa’s water from industry use and waste, Peabody mining projects have destroyed surface geology and depleted the N-Aquifer. 

Black Mesa resident and retired rancher Percy Deal, 74, has been part of Tó Nizhóní Áníi since his father helped found the organization after witnessing how mining affected their water. Deal hopes an institution will soon conduct a formal study on the full impact of mining operations to the water, and is searching for a hydrology engineer to help with water-saving projects across Black Mesa. 

“My grandmother was present at the official meeting between the Navajo Nation and Peabody Energy when they began their 50-year lease,” Deal said. “They were told your children will have jobs and your future generations will have money. They were not told how the mining was going to extract water.” 

Peabody Energy operated the Black Mesa mine and Kayenta mine beginning in the 1970’s, using N-Aquifer groundwater to transport coal from the mines through a slurry line to Mohave Generating Station 273 miles away. Many residents find that the Reclamation standards set in 1990 are inadequate given the devastating effects of climate change. 

A July 2023 study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis⁷ found Peabody used 1.3 billion gallons (4.9 billion liters) of N-Aquifer groundwater each year since 1971 and that the US Department of the Interior has failed to hold Peabody responsible for its overuse of water. Today many residents, including Deal, are witnessing wells dry up, and must drive to congested community water stations to haul water back to their homes.  

A Future Powered By Grassroots Movements

After a series of sheep impoundments on the HPL by the Hopi police in 2015, Begay’s sister Salina founded Black Mesa Resistance Camp. The grassroots organization works to repeal the Resettlement Act, advocate for land and water sovereignty, and provide basic needs to HPL residents with the help of supporters from across the nation who aid elders in hauling water, wood, and sheepherding.

“It is very important to Indigenous people because we know how to use and take care of our Mother Earth,” Salina said. “Especially for elders who hug onto their ancestor’s land.”

Diné grassroots organizing forced the closure of the Black Mesa slurry line and mine in 2005, and the closure of the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta mine in 2019. Nowadays, Tó Nizhóní Áníi demands proper reclamation of clean water and land.

However, hydroelectric energy company Nature and People First has proposed the creation of Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project, which would create eight water reservoirs across 38,000 acres to generate electricity. It sought the approval of only a single Navajo Chapter and applied for permits before seeking approval of other community members. 

“My mom and dad never saw the end of the Peabody operation. They were never told the effects on the land and their crops. The corn used to grow six or seven feet, now it grows one foot and dies.” Deal said. “Now someone wants to come in for the next 100 years? I would not see the end of that lease in my lifetime. My grandchildren or great-grandchildren would see the end, and who knows what the land would look like then?”

Recently Tó Nizhóní Áníi sent a resolution to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stating the strong opposition to the 100-year lease contract from 18 Navajo Chapters, due to the resulting further depletion of the Colorado River and N-aquifer, and the environmental impact it would have on the land and people. 

Meanwhile, Tó Nizhóní Áníi collaborates with individuals to educate residents on the life of the surrounding land, whose survival depends on water sovereignty. 

“I remember as a child looking at the valley, and everything would be green. That’s how healthy I knew the land was back then,” Deal said. “We pray to the water. There’s got to be a better way for us to take care of Mother Earth and take care of the water. It’s the most precious thing in everybody’s life.”