This inspiring mom hauls clean water to 250 homes every month
May 13, 2017Moms do so much for us, and none of us would be here without them. So on this Mother’s Day weekend, we wanted to share an inspiring story about one mother (actually, a grandmother!) who goes above and beyond to take care of an entire community.
Darlene Arviso, known as “The Water Lady,” hauls water for Navajo Nation tribe members in Smith Lake, New Mexico,
where despite the name, access to clean water is scarce. The lake itself is polluted, and in 2014 the EPA ordered the cleanup of four nearby abandoned uranium mines.
Because deliveries are just once a month, residents of the Navajo Nation here must make their water last, and use just 7 gallons daily for drinking, bathing, cooking and cleaning. (The average person in the U.S. uses between 80 to 100 gallons a day.)
To provide tribe members with clean water, once a month Arviso drives a bright yellow water truck provided by The St. Bonaventure Mission to 250-some homes. She fills residents’ water containers, which consist of essentially anything that can hold water, such as plastic barrels, jars, and buckets.
In February, the New Mexico State Senate presented Arviso with an appreciation award, citing her “hard work and dedication” to her people. You can read more about Arviso’s inspiring work on the Navajo Water Project website.
It’s women and mothers like Arviso who inspire all of us to do more, and LCA would like to wish moms everywhere a very happy Mother’s Day and extend a big “thank you” for all that you do.