Senator toured the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project that was funded through her landmark bipartisan infrastructure law – securing a strong water supply for the Nation
WINDOW ROCK – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema visited the Navajo Nation to tour and celebrate historic infrastructure investments she delivered – like the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project – firsthand. The bipartisan infrastructure law Sinema wrote, negotiated, and led through Congress allocated $139 million to fund the critical Water Supply Project.
The Senator met with Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Vice President Richelle Montoya, Speaker Crystalyne Curley, and other members of Tribal leadership to discuss ways they can build on their solutions-focused partnership to continue delivering lasting solutions to the Nation.
“From funding the Water Supply Project to protecting ancestral homelands through the new Grand Canyon National Monument, we’ve achieved tremendous success by working side-by-side with the Navajo Nation. We’ll keep partnering to deliver real results,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Currently, many parts of the Navajo Nation rely on a depleting, poor quality groundwater supply that cannot meet the needs of the communities it serves, with 40% of Navajo Nation households relying on hauling water. The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project provides a long-term sustainable water supply to meet the future population needs of the approximately 250,000 people in these communities through the annual delivery of 37,764 acre-feet of water from the San Juan Basin.
Sinema’s landmark infrastructure law included $2.5 billion to complete all currently-authorized Indian Water Rights Settlements. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced $139 million to fund the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project from Sinema’s law – delivering a long-term solution to a decades-old challenge for the Nation.
Sinema and members of Navajo Nation leadership discussed their work to protect ancestral homelands by designating the new Grand Canyon National Monument last month. During her time in the Senate, Sinema has worked alongside Tribal nations to ensure their sovereignty remains respected while securing the federal resources to help their communities thrive.