Graffiti on an abandoned building serving to remind all of the importance of water on the Navajo Reservation.
Providing Water to the Navajo Nation: The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
T
he Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is a major construction project being undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the 2005 Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement. With 300 miles of pipeline, two water treatment plants, 19 pumping plants, and numerous storage tanks spread across an area the size of New Jersey, the project will bring a clean and reliable surfacewater supply to members of the Navajo Nation, some of whom currently do not have water directly delivered to their homes, as well as to beneficiaries in the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the City of Gallup. Patrick Page, a deputy construction engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation, spoke with Municipal Water Leader writer Tyler Young about the history and details of the project, its significance, and how it is progressing today.
Patrick Page: I have been the deputy construction engineer for the Four Corners Construction Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Farmington, New Mexico, since 2011, and in that capacity, I also serve as the project manager for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. Prior to that, I was the water management group chief in
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Tyler Young: Would you provide a brief history of NavajoGallup Water Supply Project? Patrick Page: Navajo-Gallup will provide a domestic, municipal, and industrial water supply to 43 chapters within the Navajo Nation, the southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, and the City of Gallup. The concept of Navajo-Gallup has been around for decades, and has had various levels of support throughout the years. In 2009, the stars aligned when Public Law 111-11 authorized the construction of Navajo-Gallup and other elements of the Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement in New Mexico. There are several MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
Tyler Young: Please tell us about your background in the water industry and about your time at Navajo-Gallup.
Reclamation’s Western Colorado Area Office in Durango, Colorado. I worked in that office for 21 years before I came down to New Mexico. During the last few years of my work in Colorado, I started working with Navajo-Gallup in some of the preconstruction agreements. Mainly, I was involved with the negotiation of the Navajo Settlement Agreement and Contract and the two repayment contracts we have. So, I have been involved with Navajo-Gallup now for over 10 years and have had the opportunity to work with the Navajo Nation and other tribes in the area pretty much my whole career.
