As Drought Grips the Southwest, Water Utilities Find the Hunt for More Workers Challenging

Selwyn Sekaquaptewa has been on the hunt for talent for months.

As the general manager of the Hopi Utilities Corporation’s water service, he works with just two other staff members to provide clean and safe drinking water to the Hopi Tribe’s reservation in Northeast Arizona. When the corporation formed in 2017, five of the community’s wells did not meet federal arsenic standards, and it’s looking to expand its operations and upgrade existing infrastructure to continue improving the quality of the water on which the tribe relies.