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"Mni Wiconi" - Water is Life |
 A Lakota boy eagerly awaits the completion of his family's new water well.
Organization: Running Strong for American Indian Youth® and Wild Goose Well Drilling Co.
Year: 1987-Present
Tribe: Oglala Lakota (Sioux)
Reservation: Pine Ridge Reservation
Location: Pine Ridge, SD
When Running Strong’s founder, Gene Krizek, visited the Pine Ridge Reservation for the first time over thirty years ago, Gene asked then tribal President Joe American Horse, “What do you need?”
Joe American Horse simply replied, “Water.”
Today, access to clean water remains one of the greatest needs on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Project
In the late 1980s, the nine South Dakota Tribes, along with the federal government, created the Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Water Project to divert Missouri River waters to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations.
For over two decades, the project has encountered setbacks due the difficulty of consistently obtaining funding from the United States Congress.
It is currently estimated that the program will successfully bring water to Pine Ridge residents in five to ten years.
Until that time, many people on the reservation lack running water in their homes. These people have to travel miles to get fresh water for cooking and cleaning. Waiting lists for wells on Pine Ridge reservation often have more than 200 families on them and move slowly.
Bringing Water to the Reservation
The Oglala aquifer (water table) continues to drop which means Running Strong must drill deeper wells each year to reach fresh water.
Rising fuel can cost up to $500 a day to run the well rig out to our well sites, which can be miles upon miles of rugged terrain away from town centers.
Despite these obstacles, Running Strong will to honor our commitment to bring 13 new water wells to families on Pine Ridge each year.
Over the past 20 years:
• Running Strong has drilled more than 358 wells on Pine Ridge
• Each well averages 220 feet deep
• Each well costs approximately $9,859 to complete
• Running Strong spent over $124,057.25 on wells for thirteen families.
Running Strong enjoys a successful partnership with the Wild Goose Well Drilling Company. For every 12 wells that Running Strong funds, Wild Goose donates one well for free.
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