Navajo–Gallup Water Supply 

Project Newsletter

If you would like to learn more, visit our website at 

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/navajo-gallup/.

1st Quarter, Oct. 2022

Faces of NGWSP

Greetings! My name is David Shoultz, 

PE, Principal Engineer, Water/

Wastewater Engineering Division for 

the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. 

I’m also acting as the NGWSP Liaison 

and Operations Manager. I was with 

the Indian Health Service water 

and wastewater construction and 

operations support programs for 30 

years and have been with NTUA the 

past eight years. I oversee NTUA’s 

heavy construction and complex water 

and wastewater facility operations, 

maintenance, and replacement. 

Recently, my focus has been assuring 

a smooth transition of the operations 

of the NGWSP Cutter Lateral from 

the Bureau of Reclamation to the 

NTUA. The commitment by all those 

working for the Project’s success, 

from Reclamation and BIA, to the 

Navajo Nation and Navajo chapter 

governments and many organizations 

in between, is impressive due in large 

part to the objective of bringing water 

to the Diné. 

As evidenced with the recent delivery 

of Cutter Lateral drinking water to 

Navajo homes, the progress being 

made on this Project brings a reliable 

and sustainable community water 

supply closer to reality for tens of 

thousands of Navajo homes and I’m 

so pleased for the opportunity to be a 

part of this project.

How communities will get water from the NGWSP Pipeline

By Hubert Quintana, Bureau of Reclamation-Four Corners Construction Office

Anyone driving along Hwy 491 between Little Water and Twin Lakes has witnessed 

waterline construction the last few years on the San Juan Lateral side of the 

NGWSP. Do you ever wonder how the water will get from the pipeline to the 

communities and individual homes? The San Juan Lateral is shown in the picture 

below with the various “turnout” locations labeled. A “turnout” is the designated 

location in the main pipeline where each community’s water distribution system 

will be connected. The turnout locations shown also represent communities whose 

chapter leadership is working with 

the Navajo Nation to manage the 

pre-construction/construction 

projects which will connect each 

community into the pipeline. As of 

August, the funds have already been 

granted to design the connection 

plans into the Sanostee, Newcomb/

Two Grey Hills, Sheep Springs, 

Naschitti, Rock Springs/Tsayatoh, 

and Tohatchi/Mexican Springs 

communities and data collection 

has already begun. This has been 

accomplished through a combined 

funding effort from the American 

Rescue Plan Act (ARPA-Federal 

Funds), the State of New Mexico 

(State Funds) and Navajo Tribal 

Funds. Also notice those turnouts 

being installed as part of the BBN9 

Sublateral construction by the 

Navajo Nation. Beyond the initial 

connection into NGWSP, each 

chapter will continue working to 

obtain the funds to develop their 

individual community plans where 

having a reliable water supply 

available will allow for growth 

of new businesses and homes, as 

well as to help those residents not 

currently connected to the existing 

NTUA water system.

NGWSP construction completion is scheduled for 2028 with first surface water 

deliveries being at that time. Substantial completion is estimated for 2029 after a 

year-long testing period. Reclamation continues to visit Chapter meetings to supply 

project updates in the various communities during scheduled monthly meetings, 

or by request. Please contact Becky Begay, the Navajo Outreach Coordinator for 

Reclamation out of the Four Corners Construction Office with any requests to 

coordinate a visit with your Chapter about the NGWSP at bbegay@usbr.gov.
If you would like to learn more, visit our website at 

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/navajo-gallup/.

1st Quarter, Oct. 2022

Kristin L. Bowen, 

Environmental & Cultural Group Chief

Residents in the Coyote Canyon 

Chapter area have likely noticed 

archaeologists conducting fieldwork 

along the future BBN9 Lateral, also 

known as the Crownpoint Lateral. 

These archaeologists are subcontracted 

by Souder Miller & Associates as 

part of their contract with the Navajo 

Nation to comply with the Navajo 

Nation Cultural Resource Protection 

Act on the proposed pipeline routes. 

Cultural surveys of the area began in 

in 2020 with the goal of locating vital 

resources that would need to be avoided with the pipeline. 

This was done by archaeologists walking the proposed 

pipeline route, looking at the ground surface for any signs 

of cultural resources, and by ethnographers interviewing 

residents and others knowledgeable of the area to document 

Navajo historic and traditional cultural locations.

Last spring archaeologists conducted further investigations 

for cultural resources located in the portion of the proposed 

pipeline route called Reach 10.1.1 (aka the Coyote Canyon 

Turnout pipeline), in the Coyote Canyon 

Chapter, utilizing non-invasive ground 

penetrating radar and magnetometry. 

These methods allow researchers to 

“see” what is below the ground surface 

without having to disturb the area and 

helps archaeologists determine if there 

are any features below the ground 

surface to inform the ultimate pipeline 

alignment route and potentially plan 

where future archaeological work may 

need to occur if re-routing the pipeline 

is not feasible. 

Because no major finds were made 

on the 10.1.1 reach, archaeological 

excavations are not needed. The archaeologists have moved on 

to the 10.1 reach along the main BBN9 Lateral, which starts 

at Highway 491 and stretches east to near Soft Water Wash, 

and have been conducting the non-ground disturbing remote 

sensing there in recent months. If the collaborative pipeline 

design and archaeology investigations continue on schedule, 

the Navajo Nation plans to begin construction of the BBN9 

Lateral and Reach 10.1.1 next year.

Becky Begay, Navajo Outreach Coordinator

The construction of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project’s 

Navajo Code Talkers Sublateral has started along the north 

side of Highway 264 between the Yah-Tah-Hey junction and 

Tsé Bonito, New Mexico. The waterline will provide clean 

drinking water for the communities of Tsayatoh and Rock 

Springs Chapters in New Mexico and the Fort Defiance 

and Saint Michaels Chapters in Arizona, providing those 

communities with opportunities for economic development 

that would not be possible without this reliable water supply. 

The Rock Springs Chapter has started community planning 

on utilizing the NGWSP water for economic development 

of 80 acres of land. Currently, the Chapter does not have 

any businesses located within their Chapter area, requiring 

Chapter members to drive many miles for necessary services. Since 2014, the Chapter started planning on using this land to build 

a business park to provide critical community services. Businesses would include a multipurpose building, convenience store, 

senior center, head-start education center, restaurant/shop, chapter house, laundromat, gymnasium, and more. Rock Springs 

Chapter Community Coordinator Sherman Yazzie said they are currently working on obtaining funding for this business park 

through the New Mexico Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP) and the Navajo Nation Capital Project Management 

Department, as well as completing the archaeology/environmental assessment. He said once the Navajo Nation approves the 

business park, it will take seven years to complete, provided funding comes through. He said he would like all young Navajo 

community members to help their Nation by being more involved at the local level, working with the Community Land Use 

Planning Committee (CLUPC) and bringing new ideas to the table to help make best use of the water that is coming.

Rock Springs Chapter Prepares to use the NGWSP for Economic Development 

What’s been happening in the Coyote Canyon Area?

An archaeologist from the Statistical 

Research, Inc. conducts magnetometry 

and ground penetrating radar along the 

Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project at 

Reach 10.1.