The Bureau of Reclamation announced on Nov. 7, 2025, the awarding of a nearly $62 million contract to Ames Federal Contracting Group LLC to build the San Juan Lateral Pumping Plant No. 1 in northwest New Mexico, ladailypost.com reported.
The plant, which will pump water from the Frank Chee Willetto Reservoir to the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant, is considered a critical component of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
When it and the other components of the San Juan Lateral's raw water system are completed, the plant will convey stored water from the San Juan River in Frank Chee Willetto Reservoir to the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant, according to ladailypost.com.
After that, raw water will be treated and pumped down the San Juan Lateral, allowing vital drinking water to be delivered to Navajo communities in northwest New Mexico, Gallup, N.M., and Window Rock, Ariz. That fulfills a commitment under the Navajo San Juan Indian Water Rights Settlement.
Construction is funded by the Reclamation Water Settlement Fund authorized under Public Law 111-11 to supplement congressional appropriations needed for project completion.
Featuring a peak capacity of 71 cu. ft. per second — equal to filling an Olympic-size swimming pool in approximately 20 minutes — the pumping plant will be the project's largest, according to ladailypost.com.
"This contract continues decades of collaboration between Reclamation, the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the city of Gallup and the state of New Mexico to treat and deliver safe and reliable drinking water to rural Navajo and Jicarilla Apache communities and city of Gallup residents in northwest New Mexico and east-central Arizona," said Bart Deming, construction engineer/manager, Reclamation's Four Corners construction office
The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project features two main pipeline systems: the San Juan Lateral and the Cutter Lateral. This contract award is for San Juan Lateral Pumping Plant No. 1, which lies just south of the San Juan River in the Navajo Nation's Nenahnezad Chapter in northwest New Mexico. The Cutter Lateral has delivered water to Navajo homes and businesses since 2020, according to ladailypost.com.
