SHIPROCK, N.M. – Turning on a sink and having the water flow is something most people take for granted. That hasn’t been the case for decades across the Navajo Nation. 

“I want to be clear this isn’t just about meeting a need, it’s about righting a wrong. No community in America should have to go without water, but our people have carried that burden for generations,” said President of the Navajo Nation, Buu Nygren.

However, future generations won’t have to carry that burden. On Wednesday, people gathered to break ground on the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant. It’s part of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. 

“This project will make it possible for all those homes to receive clean running water for decades that come, like every American household deserves to have running water. It’s a very big project, it is one of the largest Native American infrastructure projects in the country and ever,” said U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.  

The whole project includes more than 100 miles of pipes, storage tanks, and pumping stations. After the treatment plant is built, the project will be 70% completed. 

“The work that begins here today will treat water from the San Juan River and convert it into clean, safe drinking water that reaches deep into the communities,” said Nygren. 

By 2028 families in the Navajo Nation should have clean and sustainable running water. It’s not just water that will be flowing, in the end, it means more money and jobs for the Navajo Nation. 

The entire project cost over $2.6 billion, and they are still securing additional funds to complete it.