Failing Our Way to Success

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project (NGWSP) is a major infrastructure endeavor that will convey a reliable municipal and industrial water supply for future generations on Navajo Nation land and the Four Corners Region. The project will service northwest New Mexico, including the eastern section of the Navajo Nation, the southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the city of Gallup via approximately 300 mi of pipeline, 19 pumping plants, and 2 water treatment plants. The NGWSP has a congressionally mandated deadline for completion by December 31, 2029. There are currently 15 crossings along the NGWSP that have been analyzed for the most effective method of crossing and found that a trenchless installation is more beneficial than open-cut excavation at those locations. Throughout the preliminary-design, design phase, and construction phases of NGWSP, there have been many challenges with Horizontal Directional Drills (HDD) that have resulted in lessons during construction that have changed the way the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) handles HDDs.