Reclamation Participates in Gallup Water Festival

Written by: Becky Begay

Students learning about NGWSP history, partnering, project timeline, goals, etc.Reclamation’s Four Corners Construction Office and Western Colorado Area Office participated in the McKinley County Water and Energy Awareness Day in Gallup, New Mexico, on March 14-15, 2017. The event helped educate students about water and its relationship to human and other natural resources in a fun and interactive atmosphere. Approximately 900 4th- 8th grade students from Gallup and surrounding communities attended the 2-day festival.

The students learned about the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project (NGWSP) through the use of a locally designed interactive game. The NGWSP is currently under construction in northwest New Mexico. The project will convey a reliable municipal and industrial water supply from the San Juan River to the eastern section of the Navajo Nation, the southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the City of Gallup. The waterline will be approximately 300 miles long and is scheduled for completion in 2024. Most, if not all, of the students participating in the game will eventually be customers receiving water from NGWSP.

The students played the NGWSP interactive game and learned about the history, partnering, project timeline, project goals and the many challenges faced in constructing a project of this magnitude. The students built a pipeline using PVC pipes and connectors on a large scale map of the project area. Through the interactive game, they faced obstacles such as extreme weather, archaeological sites, endangered species, required permits, budget constraints, home sites and ranches. The game gave the students a glimpse of the amount of work and time it takes to build the project and how important it is to their communities when it is completed.

Published on March 15, 2017