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Turning the tap in To鈥檋ajiilee: Long-awaited water pipeline construction underway to bring clean water
RIGHT: Ciara Chavez, 12, Sacorra Tenorio, 12, Hazel Mariano, 13, and Shaundrea Apachito, 12, students at To鈥檋ajiilee Community School, huddle together during the To鈥檋ajiilee water pipeline project groundbreaking ceremony on May 15. The $20 million, 7.5-mile pipeline will bring safe drinking water to the Navajo community of To鈥檋ajiilee.
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The water fountains at To鈥檋ajiilee Community School aren鈥檛 usable. In the school鈥檚 kitchen, water is boiled before being used.
鈥淩ight now, it鈥檚 not drinkable,鈥� said Sarah Lucero, a teacher at the school.
Five of the six wells in To鈥檋ajiilee, a part of the Navajo Nation located west of Albuquerque, are not functioning. Water from the remaining, often unreliable, well is frequently of poor quality and insufficient for the community鈥檚 needs.
Lucero is hauling water every day, she said, flexing her arms and laughing.
The community runs out of water every June and July, Lucero said, and it can take a week or more to restore access. But that may change as construction starts on a $20 million, 7.5-mile water pipeline that will connect Albuquerque and Bernalillo County鈥檚 water system to To鈥檋ajiilee鈥檚 system. Construction is expected to conclude in fall of 2025.
Lucero teaches the Din茅 language to middle schoolers at To鈥檋ajiilee Community School. She looked on with pride as six of her students performed on Wednesday, their dance marking the groundbreaking of a project that To鈥檋ajiilee residents say has taken decades to begin.
鈥淲e鈥檝e grown old,鈥� exclaimed Norman Begay, the Navajo Nation council delegate representing Alamo, Ramah and To鈥檋ajiilee, as he named some of the original proponents of the project at the groundbreaking.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said the pipeline could bring enough water to allow for additional economic development in the region.
The Navajo Nation will pay to lease water from the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Funding comes from the Navajo Nation as well as the New Mexico Finance Authority鈥檚 Water Trust Board, the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department and federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars appropriated by Bernalillo County.
Former County Commissioner Debbie O鈥橫alley, who championed the project, said when she first heard about the water challenges in To鈥檋ajiilee, she knew 鈥渨e鈥檝e got a fight on our hands.鈥� And it was, as challenges ensued as the community fought for easements from some landowners in the region.
鈥淚t鈥檚 shameful that it had to take so long,鈥� O鈥橫alley said. 鈥淚 want to thank you for your persistence and your patience.鈥�
