This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Many Native American communities in rural areas rely on well water, but the quality and safety of that water can vary significantly. Researchers led by Jani C.
Ingram measured levels of heavy metals in well water on tribal lands through a community partnership with the Navajo Nation. After compiling their water-quality data, the researchers and tribal leaders developed best practices for distributing educational resources about safe drinking water to residents of Navajo reservations. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) during the "Community Engagement as a Catalyst for Clean Water Quality Management" symposium at McCormick Place.
ACS Fall 2026 is being held Aug. 23–27. During the Cold War, Navajo Nation tribal lands in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah were heavily mined for uranium, a heavy metal found in rocks that is necessary for nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Ingram remembers hearing stories from relatives who worked in the uranium mines.
Her mother is a member of the Navajo Nation. "I didn't really know the extent of the abandonment of those mines," says Ingram, an analytical chemist and chair of the chemistry and biochemistry departments at Northern Arizona University. "I think you assume people clean up their messes, and that didn't happen." The abandonment of these mines led to uranium and other heavy metals entering nearby water resources.
Although efforts are underway to clean abandoned uranium mines, many have had the potential to contaminate wells that supply drinking water for people and livestock. Negative health effects result from consuming water with elevated levels of uranium, including compromised kidney function. Most of the U.S. population has access to regulated clean water in their homes because of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
But on Navajo lands, up to 30% of homes rely on private well water, which is not regulated by that act. "It became clear that no one was monitoring these wells," says Ingram. "Everyone on the reservation in that situation is on their own to find a water source for their households." This led Ingram to work with Navajo Nation tribal leaders to investigate potential water contamination.
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