LEUPP, AZ – Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley, along with Resources and Development Committee (RDC) Chair Brenda Jesus and Vice Chair Casey Allen Johnson, welcomed U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Commissioner Maria Camille Calimlim Touton and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Gary Gold to the Navajo Nation. The visit to several rural communities provided greater insight into the water accessibility challenges that many Navajo families face and to see the progress of water infrastructure development.
In her capacity overseeing the Bureau of Reclamation, Commissioner Touton helps manage the federal government’s investments in drought and water resiliency, including funding for water efficiency and recycling programs, rural water projects, WaterSMART grants, and dam safety to ensure that irrigators, tribes, and adjoining communities receive adequate assistance and support.
Speaker Curley, Attorney General Ethel Branch, Water Rights Commission Chair Joelynn Ashley, and technical experts visited the home of a Navajo elder in Canyon Diablo located south of Leupp, AZ, whose family relies on hauling water from a nearby windmill for her domestic and livestock needs. Commissioner Touton joined the family for a water hauling trip that led them through miles of rough dirt roads.
“The daily challenges are real for many Navajo people when it comes to hauling water for their homes, livestock, and basic needs but we are a resilient people,” said Speaker Curley. “Within the past several years, the Navajo Nation Council has appropriated nearly $1 billion for water infrastructure and development in our communities, but more is needed. With the Arizona water rights settlement that awaits congressional approval, we are hopeful that thousands more of our people will have access to clean water.”
In May, the 25th Navajo Nation Council unanimously approved the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement that will deliver much-needed water to Navajo homes and communities if approved by Congress. Prior to the site visits, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren also met with the Commissioner to convey his support for water development.
RDC Vice Chair Johnson, who represents the Leupp community, spoke to the Commissioner about the Nation’s investments and collaboration with federal agencies that led to the Leupp-Dilkon Pipeline that now delivers water to the Dilkon Medical Center, which opened last August to provide medical services for communities in the southwest portion of the Navajo Nation.
