"The Animas-La Plata project’s little brother has broken ground downstream. Construction is currently under way on the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline, a new water supply for impoverished areas of the Diné Nation, southwest of Farmington. In an unusual twist, the $58-million project falls under the umbrella of A-LP, the $500 million reservoir and pumping plant taking shape southwest of downtown Durango. The 28.4-mile pipeline will link the Farmington water treatment plant and the City of Shiprock . Delivering 4,600 acre-feet of water a year, the pipe will provide potable water for the Shiprock, Hogback, Nenahnezad and Upper Fruitland chapters of the reservation. At the groundbreaking, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr. commended the “project partners” – the Bureau of Reclamation, the Animas-La Plata Project and the City of Farmington. “This is a very tangible means of telling the world that we’re working together,” President Shirley said. “There are families out there that have been hauling water for decades. Man, I’ll tell you, they’re hurting. Now, finally, they’ll have water in their homes.” The pipeline is expected to quadruple the drinking water supply in Navajo chapters, a need empahsized by Navajo Nation Council Delegate GloJean Todacheene. She noted that her family used to rely on a spring in a wash for their drinking supply, and that water would have to be strained through flour sacks in order to remove sediment. Todacheene added that she did not take her first shower until she went to boarding school. A major goal for the Navajo people is to have their children return to the reservation, she noted. The pipeline and the opportunities it will bring will help make that possible." Get the Story:
Watering the Dine Nation (The Durango Telegraph 10/2) Related Stories:
Editorial: Navajo Nation deserves clean water (9/17)