Navajo Nation water supply project to receive first major pumping plant

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $19.6-million construction contract to build the Tohlakai Pumping Plant, the first pumping plant for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, a major infrastructure project that will convey a reliable water supply from the San Juan River to the eastern section of the Navajo Nation, southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the city of Gallup, N.M. The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is the cornerstone of the historic Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement in the San Juan River Basin signed by the Department of the Interior, the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico in December 2010. In addition to the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the city of Gallup, project participants include -- in conjunction with Reclamation -- the state of New Mexico, Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Construction of the Tohlakai Pumping Plant, to be located in McKinley County, is expected to take approximately 26 months to complete and provide approximately 140 direct and indirect jobs over that time. At the peak of construction, the Navajo-Gallup project will involve more than 600 jobs created at numerous project sites. Construction of the overall Navajo-Gallup project began in June 2012 and is on schedule for completion in 2024...more