Moltz Constructors to build pumping plant for Navajo water supply project

Moltz Constructors has secured a $19.6m construction contract from the US Bureau of Reclamation to build the Tohlakai Pumping Plant for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

Construction of the project began in June 2012 and is on schedule for completion in 2024, when it will have the capacity to deliver clean running water to a potential future population of around 250,000.

To be located in McKinley County, New Mexico, the Tohlakai Pumping Plant will initially have a 2ft³/sec capacity, which will be used to provide groundwater from Navajo wells until the overall project is complete. Additional pumps will be installed at the plant when demand increases so that capacity will reach around 36.5ft³/sec of treated surface water from the San Juan River to Navajo communities and the cities of Gallup and Window Rock, Arizona.

The Tohlakai Pumping Plant will provide around 140 direct and indirect jobs during the roughly 26-month construction phase. At the peak of construction, the project will create more than 600 jobs at numerous project sites.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said that the Navajo-Gallup project will deliver clean, safe drinking water to tribal and rural communities, many of which have been hauling water over long distances for far too long.

"This contract is another important step in honoring US commitments to Indian nations while providing lasting benefits for local economies and public health," Jewell added.

Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly said: "The overall project is a priority for the Navajo Nation which will provide the necessary water supply for future economic growth for the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. The current pumping plant will help many Navajo families east of Gallup, NM get near-term groundwater for domestic use before the San Juan River water comes."

President Obama’s proposed FY 2015 budget requests an $80m investment in the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.