NAVAJO-GALLUP WATER SUPPLY PROJECT 

PROJECT CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE MEETING NO. 60 

THURSDAY, August 3, 2023 9:00 AM 

In-Person and via MS-Teams 

SUMMARY 

1) Review and approve agenda (Reclamation) - approved 

2) Review May 4, 2023 PCC Meeting Summary Handout (Reclamation) 

3) Review of PCC Action Item List – Handout (Reclamation) 

a. Reclamation to send results of the pilot study 

b. Pilot study froze after about 2 weeks of data 

c. Small amount of data collected from the cast iron pipe corrosion tests 

4) Other Related Navajo-San Juan NM Settlement Issues (BIA/Navajo Nation) – no updates provided 

a. Conjunctive Groundwater Use Plan 

b. San Juan River Navajo Irrigation Projects 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE 

5) Block 4A/4B (Reclamation) – see slides 

6) Pumping Plants No. 2 and 3 (Reclamation) – see slides 

7) Block 4C-8 (Reclamation) – see slides 

- construction completed in fall 2022, currently closing out 

8) Pumping Plants No. 4 and 7 (Reclamation) – see slides 

9) Navajo Code Talkers Sublateral (Reaches 12.1/12.2) (Reclamation) – see slides 

10) Reach 27.7B (Gallup) 

Awarded, Construction to begin late-Aug/early-Sep, completion expected 9 months later 

SAN JUAN LATERAL- ISSUES / DESIGN UPDATE 

11) S. 1898/H.R. 3977 - Navajo-Gallup Amendments 

12) San Juan Lateral Intake (aka Reach 1) – Status/Schedule (Reclamation) 

a. SJR Intake Pumping Plant and SJGS Reservoir Modifications 

i. Water Quality Monitoring Station 

- The 30% design included a water quality monitoring station upstream of the 

intake 

- In consultation with Project Participants, Reclamation has decided to move the 

water quality monitoring equipment to the intake and eliminate the need for a 

separate water quality monitoring station upstream 

ii. 60% design expected early November 

iii. Solicitation in Spring 2025 

iv. Award in fall 2025 

b. SJGS Land/Facilities Acquisition Update 

i. Interest in boat passage/upstream takeout at SJ diversion 

- Sara Burch, the Animas Riverkeeper representing the San Juan Citizens 

Alliance, met with Reclamation regarding boater safety related to the SJGS 

diversion dam 

13) Block 2-3 – Status/Schedule (Reclamation) 

a. 90% Design 

i. Was scheduled to be due in the coming month but will slip 

b. Constructability Review 

i. Some modifications might be required as a result of the review 

c. ROW 

14) SJL Pumping Plants – Status/Schedule (Reclamation) 

a. Pumping Plant #1 

i. 30% complete 

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ii. 60% in Jan 2024 

iii. VE beginning Aug 7 

b. ROW 

15) Reach 27/Pumping Plant #8 – Status/Schedule (City of Gallup) 

a. R27.12 – 404s underway, all private ROW 

b. PP8 – Microturbine seminar appreciated, NEPA complete, topography done 

16) Tohlakai Pumping Plant 

a. Interim Groundwater Delivery from Twin Lakes Well (Navajo Nation/USBR/City of Gallup) 

i. Materials for the backflow preventor has been ordered 

ii. May be installed by end of the year 

iii. Testing and chlorine residual will need to be tested to approve the source through NMED 

17) Reach 14 (Indian Health Service) 

a. Reaches 14.1 and 14.2 – Status/Schedule 

i. SWPPP Notebook needs to be reviewed prior to pre-construction mtg 

ii. NECA to review and send to USBR 

iii. Schedule will provided once the SWPPP is approved 

iv. Planning on construction to start in Fall 2023 at water storage at Church Rock 

b. Reaches 14.6a, 14.7a, 14.8a – Status/Schedule 

i. ROW signatures for Tribal Trust, Fee, and Allotments have been completed 

ii. Working on private land ROWs (2 remaining) 

iii. IHS would like USBR to complete these projects at this point 

iv. City of Gallup has completed the turnout for 14.6a, there is a 6 in. NTUA line there 

already that could potentially be connected prior to 14.6a being completed if needed. 

Priorities from Twin Lakes would need to be considered. 

18) BBN9 – Status/Schedule (Navajo Nation/SMA) 

a. PIN 40 – Mods to Crownpoint Lateral Revisions 

i. Navajo Nation would like to increase the size of the BBN9 to accommodate future water 

needs downstream 

ii. Nation is getting TIFF grant and is set to expire in Jan 2024 that is planned to be used on 

10.1.1 

iii. ARPA funding is planned to buy 18” pipe (upsized from 16”) 

iv. Nation would like to start construction in August if the 404/401 permits 

v. Nation would like conditional NTP in next few weeks 

vi. Additional TIFF funding for 10.1 is expected to expire in Jan 2025 

19) San Juan Lateral Community Connections 

a. Turnout Vaults (Reclamation) 

b. Community Transmission and Treatment (Navajo Nation/SMA) 

i. Point of delivery is being driven by regulatory group 

ii. The point of conversion from transmission to distribution seems to make more sense to 

be closer to the existing infrastructure rather than immediately off the main transmission 

line 

Reclamation to look into credits to Gallup and Jicarilla for non-federal money spent on other 

NGWSP facilities 

CUTTER LATERAL 

20) Construction and OM&R Update (Reclamation/NTUA/Navajo Nation) 

a. Operation Update (NTUA/Navajo Nation) 

i. WTP Production 

- May 300kgal/day 

- June 335 

- July 400 

- 25% increase over the period 

ii. NTUA conducted an OM&R field inspection in June, indicating good operation overall. 

iii. NTUA completed contract review in June for minor mods for clarification and adding the 

downstream lateral from the WTP. 

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iv. NPDES permit renewal application was submitted in June to USEPA R6. 

v. Cutter intake flow reports are being submitted monthly to BIA per NAPI/NIIP 

agreement. 

b. Reaches 24 – 26 Construction Closeout and JAN Water Delivery (Navajo Nation/NTUA/SMA) 

i. JAN connection: finishing final work and waiting for parts/pricing to get the connection 

made but it is not completed 

ii. JAN WTCC tech meetings expected to continue in August after receiving ERF/RRF 

clarification for payment obligations from stakeholders v. timing of substantial 

completion v. NTUA contract operations. 

c. Reach 21 Booster Plant (Reclamation) 

i. VE Update – Reclamation will be reviewing proposals and coming up with 

recommendations 

d. Area-Wide Optimization Program (NTUA) 

i. NTUA and Jacobs participated in the quarterly AWOP update sponsored by NMED & 

Jacobs. Goals are compromised due to the need to reduce ferric chloride coagulation to 

meet the needs of a consecutive distribution system having historically been exposed to 

groundwater high in iron and manganese coating the pipe that appears to be dissolving in 

the surface water, causing past discoloration. Jacobs has drafted a proposal to switch 

coagulants to ACH. 

WATER TREATMENT 

21) Regulatory Issues (Reclamation) 

a. SJL Disinfection By-Product Study Update – model going through calibration 

b. Corrosion Control Study – water through the CLWTP planned on pipes provided for the SJL 

22) San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant (Reclamation) 

a. Water Quality BOD – to be updated Aug 2023 

b. Procurement Update – issued as Phase 2 of the process (Request for Proposals), proposals due in 

February, award in June 2024, construction beginning in late-2024/early-2025 

PROJECT WIDE 

23) Upcoming PINs / Modified PINs (Reclamation) 

a. PIN 022.4 – Add Startup Flows for SJLWTP – data from start-up BOD to be incorporated and 

provided to SJLWTP offerors 

b. PIN 024.3 – Water Storage Tank Materials – complete 

i. Reclamation to send clean version 

c. PIN 027.1 – Cutter Turnout Flows 

d. PIN 034 – SJ Lateral Storage – internal meeting scheduled to finalize 

e. PIN 038.1 – In-Tank Chlorination Systems, Water Quality Sampling, Pre-use Monitoring, and 

Tank Penetrations – to be finalized 

f. PIN 039.1 – SJLWTP Site Selection – to be sent for signature 

g. PIN 049 – Pumping Plant #1 Location 

h. PIN 050 – San Juan River Pumping Plant 

i. PIN 051 – San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Process Decision 

24) Cultural Resources Compliance – Project-Wide (Reclamation) 

a. 24.1 Lybrook report is awaiting BLM concurrence 

b. No current IDIQ for cultural resources services 

c. Working toward putting another cultural IDIQ in place 

d. Last need was R21 booster plant, NNHPD completed the survey 

e. Tribal construction monitoring contract also being worked on 

i. Monitors on 12.1 and 12.2 and any other non-Navajo lands 

f. Programmatic Agreement Program Manager contract also being renewed/updated 

g. Last meeting was in June in Farmington, next meeting may take place prior to the end of the 

contract (Sep) 

25) Environmental Compliance – Project-Wide (Reclamation) 

a. 401 permits 

i. 10.1.1 submitted 

ii. 4b submitted 

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b. New environmental staff beginning on Aug 14 

c. Revegetation contract for R9-11 solicitation is out 

i. Seed mixture has changed some since some cannot be acquired 

26) Power Transmission (NTUA) 

a. San Juan Lateral Status (NTUA) 

i. Power to Pumping Plants #4 and #7 

ii. Power to Block 9-11 Rectifiers 

iii. Power to Block 4C-8 Rectifiers 

iv. 115kV Powerline Construction 

b. Power Supply Agreements 

c. Cutter Lateral Renewable Energy Feasibility Study w/NREL (Navajo Nation/WCAO) 

27) SCADA/Cybersecurity (Reclamation) 

a. Working with NTUA to finalize 

b. Transfer memo with NTUA will separate Reclamation system from SCADA system 

28) Budget (Reclamation) 

a. FY2023 Construction Budget: $136,746,000 

i. Mandatory - $136,746,000 

ii. Discretionary - $0 

b. City of Gallup Credit Request Status 

i. 27.10 credit request expected shortly 

c. 3rd Quarter FY2023 Bills 

29) Information Sharing / Public Outreach (Reclamation) 

a. Quarterly Newsletter 

b. Construction Outreach 

c. New Mexico Water and Natural Resources Committee Meeting 

30) Action items and assignments (Reclamation) 

31) Schedule next PCC meeting – Oct 26 ,2023 – in-person with virtual option 

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