A uranium mine threatens the Havasupai tribe’s only water source
A uranium mine near the Grand Canyon risks contaminating the Havasupai Tribe’s only water source, raising concerns about their health and safety.
Dawn Attride reports for Science.
In summary:
- The Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon sits on an aquifer that provides the Havasupai Tribe with its only drinking water.
- A new study questions the mine’s safety assessments and suggests that the rock layers could lead to uranium contamination of the tribe’s water.
- The Havasupai tribe and environmental activists are fighting the mine because they fear irreversible damage to their sacred land and water supply.
Key quote:
“If it gets to our village, we will get sick. I ask these miners: ‘Will you take responsibility for paying for my people’s hospitalization?'”
— Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla, Havasupai Elder
Why this is important:
The potential contamination of the Havasupai’s water source is an example of the dilemma we face in prioritizing resource extraction in the face of growing environmental pressures. If the Havasupai’s lifeline is contaminated, it would be a blow not only to their survival, but to the integrity of the Grand Canyon itself. Read more: Protecting Indigenous children means protecting water.
