STANDING ROCK, ND – May 21, 2026 — Ten years after the Dakota Access Pipeline protests galvanized a global movement around water protection and Indigenous sovereignty, leaders at Standing Rock are marking the anniversary with something unexpected—infrastructure.
Since beginning in 2025 and completing in 2026, community leaders installed permanently donated FloWater Refill Stations, valued at approximately $250,000, in high use locations across the reservation. This provides long-term access to purified, trusted, and clean drinking water sourced erectly from existing municipal lines.
The partnership initiative between Standing Rock and FloWater, led locally by Cody Two Bears, Founder of Indigenized Energy, reflects a continued commitment to independence and sovereignty on tribal land. Not limited to just land and energy, but also with water systems that communities need to rely upon every single day.
For years, many families have relied on trucked-in bottled water due to aging pipes and infrastructure challenges, which include man-made contaminants that have made their way into our lakes, rivers, tributaries, and soil—which ultimately makes its way into drinking water systems. While bottled water provided temporary relief, it comes at a significant financial cost and increased plastic waste across the reservation.
The newly installed FloWater Refill Stations completely shift that model, by effectively replacing decades old infrastructure and suboptimal drinking water by changing the last five feet of water lines through a proprietary piece of hardware provided by FloWater which creates on-site purification and optimization of drinking water. In turn, these systems remove up to 99.999% of contaminants, while eliminating dependence on outside supply chains and restoring confidence in local water sources.
“We have two systems in our community centers, one in our Veterans Memorial Building and one in our Community Gym,” said Kendrick Eagle, tribal leader and longtime advocate active during the Dakota Access Pipeline resistance. “These are places where our people gather for ceremonies, basketball tournaments, funerals, meetings. Clean water in those spaces matters.”
The systems connect directly to existing water lines and use advanced multi-stage filtration to reduce contaminants including lead, PFAS, and microplastics, while encouraging reusable bottle use and reducing plastic waste.
For Two Bears, the anniversary is not just about remembering 2016. “The work didn’t end ten years ago,” he said. “Water sovereignty means building systems that serve our people long-term. We shouldn’t have to depend on pallets of plastic bottles to hydrate our families. This is about health, dignity, and self-determination.”
The Refill Stations were donated in partnership with Indigenized Energy and Standing Rock leadership by FloWater, a Colorado-based water innovation company, named several times on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in the United States
“Access to trusted drinking water should not depend on geography or income,” said Rich Razgaitis, Co-Founder and CEO of FloWater. “This initiative was led by Standing Rock leadership. We are proud to support their long-term infrastructure vision.”
As the community reflects on the 10-year milestone of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, leaders emphasize that protecting water is not a past event–it is an ongoing responsibility. This anniversary marks not only remembrance, but reinvestment.
About Indigenized Energy
Founded in 2017, Indigenized Energy empowers Native communities to achieve energy sovereignty through trusted partnerships, innovative programs, and resilient renewable energy initiatives. We work directly with Tribal Nations to build capacity, fund projects, and train the next generation, turning clean energy into a source of strength, sustainability, and self-determination.
About FloWater
Incubated in Silicon Valley and now based in Denver, FloWater is revolutionizing the way the world drinks water. With proprietary 7-stage Advanced Purification technology, FloWater Refill Stations transform ordinary tap water into ultra-purified, high-performance hydration, while removing up to 99.9% of all toxins like lead, PFAS, microplastics, and more. Delivering the purest, best-tasting water available, FloWater is leading the charge against plastic pollution and, to date, has saved over one billion plastic water bottles from entering the environment. Recognized as a World Changing Idea by Fast Company, FloWater is trusted by over 12,000 forward-thinking businesses, hotels, schools, and fitness centers nationwide—including Google, Hyatt, Xponential Studios, and Oakland Unified School—to deliver next-level hydration without the plastic waste. Learn more at DrinkFloWater.com.