BY ERIN FORD
In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution mandating safe water a fundamental human right. In the United States, the world’s richest country, less than one percent of non-indigenous households lack access to clean, safe water (0.6 percent), according to the report made by the UN’s independent expert.
That number skyrockets to 13 percent among Native American households.
It is in part this disparity that compelled the Havasupai Tribe to file two lawsuits in federal court aimed at protecting their water supply from the contamination resulting from uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.
The small tribe has made its home at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for around 800 years, and its livelihood depends on the seeps and springs that keep Havasu Creek flowing. Not only does the creek provide a water source for the tribe, it also creates the striking turquoise waterfalls that Havasu Canyon is known for. Tourism and camping at the site sustains the tribe’s economy.