Many Native American communities in rural areas rely on well water, but the quality and safety of that water can vary significantly. So, researchers led by Jani C. Ingram measured the levels of heavy metals in well water on tribal lands in 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 in McCormick Place. ACS Fall 2026 is being held August 23-27.
It became clear that no one was monitoring these wells. Everyone on the reservation in that situation is on their own to find a water source for their households." - Jani C. Ingram
Jani C. Ingram
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 the 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. They worked to identify and measure the amount of uranium and other heavy metals in Navajo water wells.
Because many of the wells were on rural lands that are difficult to reach, Ingram relied on members of the Navajo Nation and students to accompany her and locate wells from which to retrieve water samples from. She and her collaborators found uranium levels in some of the wells above 30 parts per billion, the upper limit for safe drinking water set by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. Uranium mining may also increase people's exposure to other harmful substances, such as arsenic and manganese, which Ingram also found elevated levels of in the well water samples Ingesting arsenic and high amounts of manganese can lead to negative health effects, including cancer and neurological disorders, respectively.
Ingram's team and her Navajo Nation collaborators designed and distributed educational materials identifying which wells were considered safe for sourcing drinking water. They attended tribal community meetings on Navajo reservations, spoke to community leaders, and identified the most culturally appropriate ways to share their findings with community members.
Jani C. Ingram
Ingram also provided data to other community organizations working to educate residents on safe water sources. For example, the data is accessible on a website built by the University of New Mexico that maps wells that have been tested on the reservations.
"You can see where your community is on the website map, and you can click on a well and get information about it. We've provided them our data on those wells," Ingram says.
Ultimately, Ingram's goal is to provide peer-reviewed water quality data to the Navajo Nation. Then the community members can use that data to support their requests for improved infrastructure on reservation lands.
"Having this data is really good for the community," Ingram says. "If they request that a new well be dug, it tends to be that the deeper the well, the cleaner it is. Or they request a filter system on a regulated well. Our data gives them another tool to help make those arguments."
The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Cancer Society, the Native American Research Centers for Health, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
