America’s Hidden Water Crisis
More than 2.2 million Americans still don’t have running water or basic plumbing, like a flush toilet. 44 million more don’t have clean water that’s safe to drink.
Black and Latinx households are twice as likely as white households to lack indoor plumbing, while Native American households are 19x as likely.
Water is a
Human Right
Imagine, in a country as wealthy and abundant as ours, millions of Americans spend hours each week hauling water from streams, wells, or grocery stores — hours taken away from work, studying, or playing.
They live with a higher risk of waterborne disease, type 2 diabetes, physical injury, and acute mental stress, and they spend thousands each year to get the water they need to bathe, cook, clean, and stay hydrated.
That’s not just a problem—it’s an injustice. And you can change it.
DigDeep’s community-led projects are based across the Navajo Nation, Texas and Appalachia.
Navajo Water Project
The Navajo Water Project was our first project–founded in 2014. Indigenous-led, and registered as an official enterprise on the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Water Project creates meaningful, high-paying jobs for community members while helping hundreds of Navajo families in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico get running water and indoor plumbing. With 1 in 3 Navajo households still needing a working tap and toilet, DigDeep’s Navajo Water Project team continues to change lives every day.
Colonias Water Project
More than 500,000 people live along the Texas-Mexico border near El Paso without basic services like running water, sewer, electricity, or roads. After fighting for 30 years to get their basic needs met, residents in El Paso County have teamed up with DigDeep, housing nonprofits, and county officials to transform their communities through the Colonias Water Project.
Appalachia Water Project
Communities in McDowell County and Wyoming County, West Virginia have faced barriers to clean, running water and plumbing for many years. The reasons are complicated: 100-year-old water pipes failing, contamination of groundwater, and the decline of the coal industry. In partnership with the water utility, DigDeep’s locally-based teams are extending new, high-pressure water lines to reach households deep within mountain hollers. DigDeep has served hundreds of families through the Appalachia Water Project and will keep working to reach hundreds more.
Our 100% Promise
Thousands of supporters like you trust DigDeep with their hard-earned dollars because we spend every penny you give to close the water access gap in the U.S. and nothing else.
As seen this week in:
