Rotary distributes water tanks
A total of 15 trailers and water tanks – each capable of hauling 2,200 pounds of water at a time – were recently delivered to members of the Oljato Chapter after a statewide initiative of the Rotary Clubs in Utah.
An additional 15 of the 275-gallon water tanks were also donated to residents of the Oljato area for their pickup trucks.
The donations are designed to help the many residents of the area who haul water to their homes. Previously, many of the recipients were hauling water in five or 50-gallon buckets from the community well. Some travel as far as 20 miles to the well.
The new equipment will help the residents haul a larger amount of water in a more efficient manner, and reduce the number of trips that are required.
A total of 15 donor Rotary clubs – including the Blanding and Monticello chapters – participated in the project.
They pledged funds, manufactured the trailers, purchased the water tanks, and delivered them to the Oljato Chapter on April 8.
The beginning of the Utah Rotary District interest in helping Native Americans in Utah came as the COVID epidemic hit the nation.
They formed a group to address the needs of the various tribes and called this group the Native American Initiative.
The initial efforts resulted in the delivery of food and cleaning supplies to Navajo chapters for about a year or until COVID subsided.
A large project after the epidemic was at Halchitah, where an abandoned building was remodeled and made into a Community Center. It is used today for after school programs and hosts various community events.
In 2024, the group visited all the chapters in Utah, including the Oljato Chapter, where they met with Willis Begay and Karolyn Begay. A questionnaire to residents determined who needed just tanks and who aneeded a trailer because their vehicle could not haul a full 275 gallon tank of water.
In the end, 30 water tanks and 15 trailers were secured.
Paul Summers of Bountiful, who has San Juan County ties, is the chairman of the Native American Initiative.