Black Falls Off-Grid Sanitation Construction

Black Falls Water ProjectJune-Aug, 2010

Rita Sebastian, Development Planner rita@brandeis.eduRonald Tohannie, Project Director

The Off-Grid Sanitation Construction was the continuation of the earlier Phase One project thatwas completed under an Environmental Justicegrant from the US EPA. Phase One providedsafe drinking water for families who were obtaining their drinking water from unsafe local water sources. The project installed temporary water storage systems in 10 homes in Black Falls and launched a community water hauling coop \to deliver water from a new pipeline access point constructed by the US Indian Health Service.

The Phase Two project was a collaboration between US Indian Health Service and the Black Falls Water Project, a coop of families in the Black Falls area of the Navajo Nation.

The IHS installed solar-powered underground cisterns, septic systems, and provided the plumbing for the bathrooms. The families were responsible for the bathroom construction and were assisted by the coop.

The project continued the Grassroots Driven Development approach where the local community manages the planning and

implementation of development projects.

Work on the project was a joint effort between the community coop and the families. Here, John Knight breaks ground for his foundation.

The coop construction crew consisted of community members, young and old, men and women

The homeowners participated at every step

The families provided food for the workers

Some of the families during construction of their bathrooms

Volunteers from Home Depot assisted the community

Home Depot received an award from Navajo Nation EPA for their work in phase one of the Black Falls project. The partnership continued in phase two.

The extended families contributed expertise and assistance in all phases of construction - not just to the home of their immediate relations, but also to others in the community.

Construction was done to the highest commerical standards: full R16 insulation; electric work conforming to building codes; highest quality materials and workmanship at every step

The commitment to perfection continued to the finishing touches.

Finished bathrooms included bathtup, toilet, sink, hot water, handicap accessibility, flooring, insulation, and electrical

Bathroom construction was finished under budget and ahead of schedule, so some additional work was done: a porch at Katherine Peshlakai's

and a new kitchen at Florabelle Paddock's

The next phase of the project is replication, so that other communities can also have access to safe drinking water and sanitation.