In September 2022, the remote Diné (Navajo) community of Westwater, Utah, experienced a transformative moment as homes were illuminated with electricity for the first time. This achievement, the first in a two-phase project, stemmed from the united efforts of numerous entities, with significant support (US$500,000) provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Today, nearly three years after that important milestone, that spirit of collaboration continues to bring tangible progress. On the morning of Friday, April 25, 2025, state, community, and Church leaders gathered at the Utah State University Blanding campus to celebrate the completion of the second phase of the project — bringing running water into Westwater homes.
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Elder Michael A. Dunn of the North America Southwest Area Presidency highlighted the successful collaboration between so many groups: the Navajo Nation, the state of Utah, the city of Blanding, the residents of Westwater, the Navajo Tribal Utility, and the Church of Jesus Christ.
“We were so grateful to come to the table with state and local and tribal organizations who really wanted to help,” Elder Dunn said. “We all bring our own expertise, our own ability to help with resources in ways that many people can’t imagine. It’s not only the Church globally that was able to help here — it’s also our local leaders who really saw the need and kept the issue alive for the Church.”
In March, after the community had waited more than two decades for running water, utility workers started removing cisterns and connecting pipes in the 21-home Westwater community. Westwater residents now have access to clean, dependable running water, a significant upgrade from their previous reliance on stored tank water and hauling jugs from distant filling stations. This project addresses a critical need within the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation, where a substantial portion of homes lack running water.
Before Friday morning’s celebration, Westwater Community President Thomas Chee spoke near the developed stream where most Westwater residents once obtained their water. Water hauling was a community effort.
“It was a big process. We had to nominate people just to haul water. Most the time, people would do it as volunteers, helping the community,” Chee said.
He was one of those volunteers, carrying gallon jugs from the creek to his home as a boy at the behest of his grandmother.
Water flowing through his faucet was a life-changing moment.
“A lot of people are excited. It’s been an emotional up-and-down roller coaster,” Chee said, his voice quavering. “I got emotional just turning on my own faucet for the first time. I felt really grateful. I appreciate everybody that took a hand and thought of us. All the teamwork and effort made a different — just for a basic need. Finally, we succeeded.”
Reflecting on this achievement and the collaborative spirit that made it possible, Utah Lt. Governor Deidre M. Henderson shared these impactful words:
“What this project shows is that the impossible becomes possible when we work together, when we stay at the table, when we overcome challenges and obstacles that will inevitably block our path,” said Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson. “We find a way around those obstacles by working together. We are the Beehive State. The Beehive is our state emblem, and it means something. It means we are a community.”
Providing running water in Westwater is the latest example of the Church’s ongoing efforts to help Navajo communities access such a vital resource. In 2021, for example, the Church and DigDeep helped bring running water to many homes that lack basic indoor plumbing in remote areas of the reservation in New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
“Our scriptures teach that all are alike unto God, regardless of income or nationality or gender or skin color," said Elder Dunn. “That’s why the Church is so proud to be involved in so many humanitarian efforts worldwide, be that in Westwater or the West Indies, and whether it's 29 homes or 29,000 homes. Jesus' invitation is to provide hope and help. So, we want to be part of living the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbors."