Navajo Nation seizes EPA tanks after spill, claims water is unsafe

Navajo Nation police have seized water tanks delivered to the Shiprock community in the wake of a devastating Colorado mine spill. Many Navajo farmers and cattle ranchers use the San Juan for crops and livestock. The Navajo Nation has yet to lift water restrictions on the river, so the EPA has been delivering water to communities and storing them in large tanks. However, President Russell Begaye believes that some of the water that the Navajo Nation is getting is not up to snuff. Several reports have surfaced from farmers saying that the tank water is oily. Begaye and other Navajo Nation leaders visited one of the tanks in Shiprock on Wednesday. A photo of Begaye holding a cup of water from the tank and with a black hand was taken and has spread across the Internet. "I reached my hand into the tank and felt my hand getting oily," Begaye said. "There are these black beads in the water, and when you rub them, black streaks go down your hands." It's unclear what the substance is. Begaye ordered three water tanks delivered by the EPA seized by Navajo Nation police for evidence gathering...more