$76M awarded for Water Supply Project in New Mexico

Tribal and other communities to receive clean water

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KYMA, KECY) - The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded over $76 million in the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project's (NGWSP) continuation for the Navajo Code Talkers Sublateral.

This project's funding will focus on bringing clean water for Tribal communities in New Mexico by installing several miles of pipes and adding a storage tank.

“This is a significant milestone for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project and illustrates the Department of the Interior’s commitment to Tribal communities,” stated Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. “The department is excited to leverage the new resources in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make similar investments to ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in Tribal communities.”

Work for the project is scheduled for January 2022 and will continue for about two years.

“Reclamation is pleased to begin construction on the Navajo Code Talkers Sublateral,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said. “This will mark another step towards meeting the United States’ obligation to the Navajo Nation under the Nation’s water rights settlement agreement on the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico, where over a third of households still haul drinking water to their homes.”