Since DigDeep was founded in 2012, we've brought clean, running water and working toilets to thousands of people on the Navajo Nation and in Appalachia. But as we've grown, we continue to hear from countless other families across the country facing the same daily struggle: simply trying to find enough clean water to survive.
Those calls, letters and emails inspired us to publish the first national report on the domestic water crisis. We found that more than 2.2 million Americans still don’t have access to running water or a toilet at home, and that certain regions, including the Texas border colonias, are the hardest hit.
In Spanish, colonia means neighborhood. Along the US-Mexico border, colonias are informal residential areas that started as rural subdivisions. They grew quickly, because they gave families an affordable way to own land––a place to build a home and pursue the American Dream.
Developers promised to install paved roads, electricity, water... but after the lots were sold, they disappeared. Residents were left with low-value land, no services, and unsafe housing... making it impossible to sell their property and move.
While things have improved in some larger colonias with thousands of residents, most colonias have fewer than 40 households. The high cost-per-connection for services means that limited state and county funds often go elsewhere, and many small colonias still lack basic services decades later.
Today, there are 2,300 colonias in Texas, home to about half a million people. The vast majority of families living in colonias are US citizens.
DigDeep's work began in Cochran colonia, a cluster of small homes Southeast of El Paso, founded in the early 1980s. Cochran exists in a ‘donut hole’ surrounded by retail complexes and gated communities with water towers—a reminder that Americans without water are often hidden in plain sight.
Twenty-two families live there, surrounded by an additional 50 unoccupied lots. Many worked for years to build their homes by hand. Until recently, families in Cochran were forced to haul drinking water by car or on foot. Most also bought bulk water from trucks at a premium, often paying as much $250 a month, or 30% of their household income. They only used that water for washing, since they don't trust the quality.
Our Vision
For the past two years, DigDeep has worked in Cochran and other El Paso colonias, meeting with residents, housing nonprofits, and county officials to innovate a new model for public-private partnership. We call it the Golden Triangle.
Working with residents, DigDeep brought running water and sewer connections to all 72 lots—the first side of the triangle. El Paso County installed electrical upgrades and paved roads—the second side of the triangle. Now that basic services are in place, every lot in Cochran qualifies for up to $90,000 in housing grants—the third side of the triangle.
DigDeep’s local housing nonprofit partner, AYUDA Inc, is helping residents access those funds to repair and upgrade their homes, and build affordable housing on empty lots. At the heart of the project is a new community garden, playground, and funding resource center, designed by residents themselves. Together, we'll transform a once struggling neighborhood into a vibrant thriving community.
Cochran is just the beginning. DigDeep is expanding our partnership with El Paso County to help 5 other colonias get clean, running water and working toilets. These projects will begin in 2023, and are shown in orange on the map below. Check in soon for more project updates!
Join Us
We launched the Colonias Water Project because we believe that every American deserves the clean, running water they need to thriveIf this work speaks to your heart, support the Colonias Water Project, and let’s continue the fight until every American has clean running water at home.