The original version of this video inaccurately stated the federal government has provided no funding for water assistance to Warm Springs and the State of Oregon has provided $7 million. The accurate figures—the federal government has provided more than $1 million since FY2018 and the State of Oregon allocated $3.58 million in 2020—are reflected in the updated video below. Columbia Insight apologizes for the errors. —Editor
For more than five years residents of the Warm Springs reservation have gone without reliable access to safe drinking water. Why?
By Chuck Thompson. February 18, 2021. When we set out to investigate the lack of safe drinking water that’s plagued Oregon’s Warm Springs Indian Reservation for over five years, we knew we wanted to move beyond grim statistics. It’s one thing to read that 60 percent of the population has low water pressure. It’s another to ride in a truck alongside residents who must drive miles from their homes just to fill water bottles from a trickling outdoor pipe.
When we dispatched video producer Deborah Bloom to Warm Springs for an update on the situation there, we knew she’d come back with moving footage. A veteran producer whose work has appeared on CNN, BBC, NBC, AFP and others, she’s one of the most talented producers in our part of the country. She proved that for Columbia Insight in November when covering 13-year-old whale warrior London Fletcher.
But we were astonished by her footage, which takes us intimately inside the lives of residents who have been contending with the outrageous environmental injustice at Warm Springs for over half a decade.
The water crisis at Warm Springs has been covered thoroughly and expertly in a variety of media. We’re proud to contribute our own piece of reporting with the hope it might push one step closer to the federal funding so badly needed to restore safe, clean, running water at Warm Springs.
In the meantime, donations to the Chúush Fund: Water for Warm Springs, which has raised over $730,000 to date and is operated by the MRG Foundation, is the best way to lend support.
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The Collins Foundation is a supporter of Columbia Insight’s Indigenous Issues series.
This is the best reporting I have seen on this issue. But there are still many aspects that are unclear. Some include: What specifically are the chemical contaminants in the water and how does it compare to other nearby communities? Better describe the age and type of the infrastructure and again, how does it compare to other communities for installation and maintenance? Finally, from what I understand of the 1855 Treaty the Feds absolutely need to help resolve this. What have been the Federal contributions to the Warm Springs since the Treaty? My guess is that we will see that the resources were not provided to help the tribes succeed.
Powerful story and great video. Lots of facets to this still to be explored — like, what is the Tribal government’s plan? What does the state’s $7 million do for them? Are Oregon’s US Senators looking at how to help, or not? … And meanwhile, the people there get water trickling from a pipe. Good reporting.
Excellent story and video (although it took many minutes to ‘unwind,’ just playing a few seconds between many stops. But worth waiting for!) Compliments to everyone involved in the production.
Is there a mailing address you can share for Chuush Fund? Thanks.
Hi Patricia:
Thank you for your comment. Here is contact information for the MRG Foundation, which administers the Chúush Fund:
MRG Foundation
P.O. Box 12489
Portland, OR 97212
503-289-1517
info@mrgf.org
As for the buffering issue you describe, the original video file has since been reduced in size with negligible impact on quality. If you try running the video again, you might find it streams more evenly.
Thanks for reading, Chuck (Editor)
What is the water situation at the Indian Head Casino?
Any chance you can caption the video for accessibility?
Hi V.R. I’m sorry we are unable to provide captions on this video. —Chuck (Editor)
Prayers for everyone here to have the water they need. Water is life…