Ferguson Donates to Support Wash Station Challenge

IWSH announced that Ferguson, a U.S. distributor of plumbing supplies, is generously donating water tanks, frost-free faucets and stainless steel basins to be used in community hand-washing stations being deployed on the Navajo Nation.

The Wash Station Challenge 2021, which launched June 1, is a collaboration with the DigDeep Navajo Water Project, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada and Ferguson.

The donation is the latest under a multiyear partnership between Ferguson and DigDeep to contribute to IWSH initiatives that address critical water issues faced by marginalized communities in the United States. Since the original MOU was signed, the manufacturer has supported IWSH’s efforts on the Navajo Nation by developing household water and decentralized waste solutions on the reservation. Additionally, Ferguson has been instrumental in supporting the development of a new plumbing training program at Navajo Technical University. Through this new program, Navajo students will learn basic fundamental skills and benefit with increased access to apprenticeship and other employment opportunities.

Through June 2021, 10 UA locals and training centers across the United States are assembling approximately 20 wash stations, which will then be delivered to strategic locations on the Navajo Nation. Each station is designed to provide a month’s worth of non-potable water for daily hand-washing and general hygiene for a family of six. The UA locals are in contact with their nearby Ferguson branches to coordinate receipt of the products.

Plumbers & Gasfitters Local UA 12 is assembling two solar-powered wash stations, and the Ferguson branch in Quincy, Massachusetts, donated large water storage tanks, accompanied by washing sinks and faucets, for UA Local 12 members to use.

Visit www.iwsh.org for more information.