Mrs. Haury believed strongly in partnerships by which universities work with community programs and resources to achieve shared goals. University-Community Partnerships encourage innovation in research, education and solution implementations that address and give voice to populations most vulnerable to environmental and social justice challenges.
True to that vision, the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice Early Program Investments provided two types of awards for initiatives that best leveraged University of Arizona (UA) and community resources:
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Challenge Grants of up to $200,000 for new or existing UA-community partnerships working on new initiatives to address complex challenges (awards were for periods of up to three years);
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Seed Grants to fund new or existing UA-community partnerships that started new initiatives; awards up to $100,000 were for a period of two years each (a total of $100,000 was divided among two to four recipients twice per year);
To learn more about our Early Program Investments, please review history of Partnership awards via Awards Database and Community Partner Directory of programs and organizations that work at the intersection of environment and social justice in the Southwest (update to include tribal partners - maybe?).
With the COVID 19 pandemic that accelerated issues related to access to water, food and energy especially in indigenous communities in Arizona, and thus further exposed environmental and social injustice issues, the Haury Program pivoted and started heavily investing into partnerships supporting Indigenous Resilience (link).
Through the Tribal Resilience Initiative, the Haury Program supports projects and people who offer the most powerful, culturally appropriate, innovative, and effective means of addressing water access and quality issues facing the Navajo Nation.
Although the work done amidst the COVID-19 crisis addressed immediate needs, it also sought to use the crisis as a chance to identify more fundamental issues and effect systemic change.
The Tribal Resilience Initiative (link) to this day encourages partnerships with other researchers and funders to find ways for the UArizona / AZ tribal nations outreach model to be adapted to related water sustainability work in other locations and by other partners.
Some projects funded by the Haury Tribal Resilience Initiative during COVID 19 pandemic:
Air to Water Technology Demo Site
The goal of the pilot study was to test the effectiveness of the SOURCE Hydro-Panel system installed at the STAR School Campus in Flagstaff, Arizona. The testing included water production and the overall performance of the system including environmental, economic, and carbon offsets. The average production of a system is 1.47 gallons per week at an estimated cost of $0.72/gallon which is lower than the market price for bottled water.
The SOURCE system is a promising technology with the potential to provide safe and clean drinking water to rural Native American communities in Arizona. The use of this technology could enable members of the community to continue the promotion of self-resilience and reliance. Learn more about the project at AATECHSOLAR
Water Bus - Water Treatment System
The Water Box is a 100% automatic solar-powered off-grid water filtration system. The system reduces contaminants in drinking water to levels below the U.S. EPA's Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards and has received a patent for its commercialization. The Water Box can provide clean and safe drinking water to small communities by generating 500-1000 gallons of water per day, and it is easy to install at any groundwater well site.
APT and STAR School have successfully tested the system in the Navajo Nation during the last five years. In September 2020, the team installed a Water Box on a retired school bus, also known as the Water Bus, in the Shipaulovi Village, Hopi Tribe. This rapid relief effort significantly reduced the community's concerns of elevated arsenic concentration and other contaminants. The project leaders demonstrated the water filtration system and provided hands-on training and education related to the system's operation and management.
The Water Bus is back at the STAR School in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it's ready to help provide water filtration services to other communities.
Off-Grid Water Purification Units in Navajo Nation
The project aims to create a pathway for safe water access to communities with no running water and electricity. The team leaders are currently building two off-grid mobile water purification test units and working on deepening their partnerships with Navajo Nation agencies, including the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), the Indian Health Service (IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction Program, and three Chapter Houses in the Navajo Nation, including Navajo Mountain Chapter, Utah, Dilkon, Navajo Nation, Arizona, and Thoreau, New Mexico.
The project includes the use of pressure-driven desalination methods, nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) to treat brackish waters such as those on the Navajo Nation while producing high-quality water. Solar panels will power the system and Dig Deep will assist the team in installing the units and personnel and community members' training to operate and maintain them. Learn more about the solar membrane desalination process.
Navajo Safe Water Project
The Navajo Safe Water Project is a decision-making tool that aims to identify COVID-19 high-risk areas in the Navajo Nation. The project includes compiling information to create a map that combines water quality, water infrastructure, health, and socio-economic data to identify areas on the Navajo Nation that are most at risk for a COVID-19 spike due to lack of access to water, food, and energy. Led by the UArizona, the project team integrates water, health, and environmental health experts from Northern Arizona University, University of New Mexico, Montana State University, and the University of California.
The team leaders reached agreements with the Navajo Chapters for the use of COVID-19 and water infrastructure data. Access to the Navajo Safe Water Project website here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBvKbhFXDs&list=PLSMlkRXS36YLHiaKS4Cbf-H9anBKh0rjd
Some of the 2022 / 2023 Tribal Resilience Awards include:
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UArizona Partners
Arizona Institute for Resilience
Arizona Institute for Resilience