October 1, 2025 • 11 mins
Episode 2: “The Water Lady” – Delivering Clean Water to the Navajo community
“The Water Lady” spotlights Darlene Arviso, a beloved figure known for delivering clean water across the Eastern Navajo Nation—where nearly 40% of residents live without running water.
As part of Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School’s decades-long effort to meet critical basic needs, Darlene drives thousands of gallons of water daily to remote homes and communities, often navigating rough dirt roads alone.
Through Darlene’s story and the mission’s ongoing commitment, this chapter highlights how access to clean water is a foundational step toward improving health, stability, and opportunity for the Diné people—making Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School a true beacon of hope.
www.stbonaventuremission.org
“The Water Lady” spotlights Darlene Arviso, a beloved figure known for delivering clean water across the Eastern Navajo Nation—where nearly 40% of residents live without running water.
As part of Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School’s decades-long effort to meet critical basic needs, Darlene drives thousands of gallons of water daily to remote homes and communities, often navigating rough dirt roads alone.
Through Darlene’s story and the mission’s ongoing commitment, this chapter highlights how access to clean water is a foundational step toward improving health, stability, and opportunity for the Diné people—making Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School a true beacon of hope.
www.stbonaventuremission.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
In this episode, we take you on a journey with
Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School, an unwavering pillar for
the Navajo people, walking with them in faith, dignity, humanity,
and hope. This long road is not just a promise,
but a lifeline, supporting a vital need such as education,
(00:39):
while standing for him and committed against the heavy burdens
of daily life. This is Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School.
The name comes to represent a vital lifeline to the
thousands of Navajo people in New Mexico out going.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Take it out.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
People like Darlene ar Viso are at the forefront of
this battle to help Native Americans survive and thrive with dignity.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Hi, my name is Darlene Arviso. I'm the water truck Lady,
and we're going out to Baka to deliver water in
this in this snow way weather, in.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
This place, access to clean water is the very first priority,
as many Navajo families live in remote tribal areas without
public utilities.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
There was a guarantee when the reservation was set up
back in the very late eighteen hundreds, but there was
no guarantee for water, so Navajo nation is not able
to provide that water. The federal government is not able
to ride that water, and so Saint Bonaventure has seen
(01:55):
it as a necessity over the last forty years to
provide as much water as possible.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Darlene Arviso is among those who carry and fulfill that
mission's long term commitment.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
It's just that I'm happy that I'm still working and
delivering water to the to to my people as they're
in need of water. They'll be happy to see me.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
And she delivers the most precious prize straight to the
doorsteps of many people.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Water is very precious and without water, many of these
families could not survive.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Water for families, their livestock, and other animals. Even when
people do not come out to welcome her, Darlene carries
on with her daily mission, a daily routine. She repeated, It's.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Been sixteen, sixteen years that I've been driving the water truck,
delivering the water.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Road after road, home after home, water barrel after water barrel,
and now with partnership with dig deep cistern tank after
sistern tank, often doing it alone and sometimes finding some
helping hands. Darlene's heroic story has made local and national headlines.
(03:19):
Beyond the Navajo Nation.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Through New Mexico, there are hurdles for anyone calling this
place home. The wind and trains are constant, along with
people in need of water. They come here every two
or three weeks. Yeah, filling every sunny d jug and
(03:41):
old milk gallon with life.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
In these tribal lands. Darlene is not only a high
profile figure, but a family member, everyone's.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Favorite, everybody's sister, mom, grandma. Yeah, I'm related to everybody.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So her story has become a children's book.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
It's called The Water Truck. Lady stares as where I
deliver water? And where when the kids they'll be running
through the water truck.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
The Water Lady book is available in libraries across the country,
The Water League. Does everybody know who the water Lady is?
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Sometimes we see her on the road. What does she deliver?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Does she deliver food? She delivers water At the mission's
library and classrooms. Darlene's story is worth reading and celebrating.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Gleans on the day.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yellow Now Darlene drives mostly a white painted truck, a
brand new one. A challenging but fulfilling journey.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Hiving with water and down steep hills.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
She wins. She wins, maces and walls dat anything.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Saturday at chepm.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In communities where wells run dry, Darlene's presence is a
welcoming sign, as rightfully depicted in the book Hoddy.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Here's a rumble of heavy will. Then he's the big
yellow chest, the water lady.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
He's here.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
The water is here, the.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Water lady in dry lands, and people here are more
than grateful. Without the Mission's work, they could not probably
live here.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Saint Bonaventure husband than livin water over ten years and
still yet doing it. If it wasn't for Saint Bonaventure,
I wouldn't have water.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
In total, the mission halls clean water to more than
two hundred and fifty homes per month, roughly over ten
homes daily, a task requiring multiple trips and routes.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm going that way unmarked.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Tough and bumpy roads that only Darlene knows well.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
The roads on the reservation are primarily dirt. They're undeveloped
and very bumpy, so there's a lot of wear and
tear on the vehicles.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
But the commitment to reach every home in need is
a constant promise. Pretty good I help it is worth
noting that most of these residents lack mobility due to
many factors. Advanced age, health issues, and lack of transportation
are some of the challenges hard to overcome. According to
the latest data, almost forty percent of the people living
(06:44):
on the Navajo reservations lack running water, a stark difference
with the rest of the United States.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
The average US household uses approximately one hundred and fifty
to two hundred gallons of water today. The Navajo that
we serve have to live on twelve hundred gallons of
water for an entire month.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
In this part of tribal lands. Darline delivers almost four
thousand gallons of water daily across thirteen communities within a
fifty mile radius. When water is very low in their homes,
those with means of transportation can use some of the
outdoor water spigots installed at the mission's headquarters. Families are
often streaming to the local to fill up containers, buckets,
(07:33):
and anything else they can bring with them pumping from
the well. Sorry, here, every drop of water counts, particularly
when the precious liquid comes from a two hundred foot
deep well.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
The Navajo Nation says, at a very high elevation, approximately
over seven thousand feet through is actually at about seven
five hundred feet right off of the Continental divide, so
it's very high. Desert water table is very very deep,
and it's been almost not impossible, but very very difficult
(08:13):
to locate where there might be underwater veins to drill well.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
But Saint Bonaventure Mission's collaboration with dig Deep has made
access to those pockets of water possible. From the deep
well several feet away to the water tower and its
consequent treatment, the mission makes sure people are getting what
they deserve, clean water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, and
much more.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Waving them for them to go by first.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
However, there are times when fulfilling this social contract is
much harder. When Saint Bonaventure's own wells are unable to
meet demand or in maintenance, other innovative but expensive solutions
kick in.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
But what happens when the water stops coming.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
There's an existential crisis for water out here.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Last year, They're well in water tank had to come
offline for mandatory maintenance and upgrades, stopping the main source
of water for miles around.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
The water train transporting the life saving liquid by rail
all the way from the US East Coast to New Mexico. Nowadays,
that precautionary measure is part of the routine. A few
miles from the mission railroad, tangra cars full of drinking
water are ready for any setback, personifying the water Ladies
(09:45):
spirit that Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission in School is focused
on continuing to supply water to the community as a
vital step in building the Navajo nation's overall resilience and welfare.
M Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission in School of sorts of
(10:19):
water for the Eastern Navajo community and a beacon of hope.
Please visit Saint Bonaventure Mission dot org and donate today.
Thank you.
In this episode, we take you on a journey with
Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School, an unwavering pillar for
the Navajo people, walking with them in faith, dignity, humanity,
and hope. This long road is not just a promise,
but a lifeline, supporting a vital need such as education,
(00:39):
while standing for him and committed against the heavy burdens
of daily life. This is Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission and School.
The name comes to represent a vital lifeline to the
thousands of Navajo people in New Mexico out going.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Take it out.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
People like Darlene ar Viso are at the forefront of
this battle to help Native Americans survive and thrive with dignity.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Hi, my name is Darlene Arviso. I'm the water truck Lady,
and we're going out to Baka to deliver water in
this in this snow way weather, in.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
This place, access to clean water is the very first priority,
as many Navajo families live in remote tribal areas without
public utilities.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
There was a guarantee when the reservation was set up
back in the very late eighteen hundreds, but there was
no guarantee for water, so Navajo nation is not able
to provide that water. The federal government is not able
to ride that water, and so Saint Bonaventure has seen
(01:55):
it as a necessity over the last forty years to
provide as much water as possible.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Darlene Arviso is among those who carry and fulfill that
mission's long term commitment.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
It's just that I'm happy that I'm still working and
delivering water to the to to my people as they're
in need of water. They'll be happy to see me.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
And she delivers the most precious prize straight to the
doorsteps of many people.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Water is very precious and without water, many of these
families could not survive.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Water for families, their livestock, and other animals. Even when
people do not come out to welcome her, Darlene carries
on with her daily mission, a daily routine. She repeated, It's.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Been sixteen, sixteen years that I've been driving the water truck,
delivering the water.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Road after road, home after home, water barrel after water barrel,
and now with partnership with dig deep cistern tank after
sistern tank, often doing it alone and sometimes finding some
helping hands. Darlene's heroic story has made local and national headlines.
(03:19):
Beyond the Navajo Nation.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Through New Mexico, there are hurdles for anyone calling this
place home. The wind and trains are constant, along with
people in need of water. They come here every two
or three weeks. Yeah, filling every sunny d jug and
(03:41):
old milk gallon with life.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
In these tribal lands. Darlene is not only a high
profile figure, but a family member, everyone's.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Favorite, everybody's sister, mom, grandma. Yeah, I'm related to everybody.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So her story has become a children's book.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
It's called The Water Truck. Lady stares as where I
deliver water? And where when the kids they'll be running
through the water truck.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
The Water Lady book is available in libraries across the country,
The Water League. Does everybody know who the water Lady is?
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Sometimes we see her on the road. What does she deliver?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Does she deliver food? She delivers water At the mission's
library and classrooms. Darlene's story is worth reading and celebrating.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Gleans on the day.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yellow Now Darlene drives mostly a white painted truck, a
brand new one. A challenging but fulfilling journey.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Hiving with water and down steep hills.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
She wins. She wins, maces and walls dat anything.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Saturday at chepm.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In communities where wells run dry, Darlene's presence is a
welcoming sign, as rightfully depicted in the book Hoddy.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Here's a rumble of heavy will. Then he's the big
yellow chest, the water lady.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
He's here.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
The water is here, the.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Water lady in dry lands, and people here are more
than grateful. Without the Mission's work, they could not probably
live here.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Saint Bonaventure husband than livin water over ten years and
still yet doing it. If it wasn't for Saint Bonaventure,
I wouldn't have water.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
In total, the mission halls clean water to more than
two hundred and fifty homes per month, roughly over ten
homes daily, a task requiring multiple trips and routes.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm going that way unmarked.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Tough and bumpy roads that only Darlene knows well.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
The roads on the reservation are primarily dirt. They're undeveloped
and very bumpy, so there's a lot of wear and
tear on the vehicles.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
But the commitment to reach every home in need is
a constant promise. Pretty good I help it is worth
noting that most of these residents lack mobility due to
many factors. Advanced age, health issues, and lack of transportation
are some of the challenges hard to overcome. According to
the latest data, almost forty percent of the people living
(06:44):
on the Navajo reservations lack running water, a stark difference
with the rest of the United States.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
The average US household uses approximately one hundred and fifty
to two hundred gallons of water today. The Navajo that
we serve have to live on twelve hundred gallons of
water for an entire month.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
In this part of tribal lands. Darline delivers almost four
thousand gallons of water daily across thirteen communities within a
fifty mile radius. When water is very low in their homes,
those with means of transportation can use some of the
outdoor water spigots installed at the mission's headquarters. Families are
often streaming to the local to fill up containers, buckets,
(07:33):
and anything else they can bring with them pumping from
the well. Sorry, here, every drop of water counts, particularly
when the precious liquid comes from a two hundred foot
deep well.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
The Navajo Nation says, at a very high elevation, approximately
over seven thousand feet through is actually at about seven
five hundred feet right off of the Continental divide, so
it's very high. Desert water table is very very deep,
and it's been almost not impossible, but very very difficult
(08:13):
to locate where there might be underwater veins to drill well.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
But Saint Bonaventure Mission's collaboration with dig Deep has made
access to those pockets of water possible. From the deep
well several feet away to the water tower and its
consequent treatment, the mission makes sure people are getting what
they deserve, clean water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, and
much more.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Waving them for them to go by first.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
However, there are times when fulfilling this social contract is
much harder. When Saint Bonaventure's own wells are unable to
meet demand or in maintenance, other innovative but expensive solutions
kick in.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
But what happens when the water stops coming.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
There's an existential crisis for water out here.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Last year, They're well in water tank had to come
offline for mandatory maintenance and upgrades, stopping the main source
of water for miles around.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
The water train transporting the life saving liquid by rail
all the way from the US East Coast to New Mexico. Nowadays,
that precautionary measure is part of the routine. A few
miles from the mission railroad, tangra cars full of drinking
water are ready for any setback, personifying the water Ladies
(09:45):
spirit that Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission in School is focused
on continuing to supply water to the community as a
vital step in building the Navajo nation's overall resilience and welfare.
M Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission in School of sorts of
(10:19):
water for the Eastern Navajo community and a beacon of hope.
Please visit Saint Bonaventure Mission dot org and donate today.
Thank you.
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