Key to Gallup's future
Professionals look for sources, solutions to shortage

George Ross rinses his car at a self service car wash in Gallup, N.M. The city of Gallup is approaching a water shortage unless the problem is remedied. Ross washes his car after it becomes muddy to remove salts. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

First on a two-part series.

By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

A body of water off the south side of I-40 in Gallup has receded in recent months and mimics the shrinking water supply that Gallup is facing. The city could run out of water if the problem is not remedied. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

GALLUP — New Mexico First, a nonprofit public research organization, set out to do things a little differently this year. Annually, the organization produces reports on various public interest topics to provide policymakers with information and recommendations that will help them make the best decisions for the state. This year, New Mexico First is producing a report that aims to find innovative means toward rural economic development.

The organization realized that different areas of the state have different needs and challenges. The informed experts on this topic would be the very people who live in these rural areas. So, it set out to hold a series of town hall style meetings across the state to learn about residents’ needs, concerns, and ideas on how to overcome problems in their communities.

New Mexico First has never tried this approach in its 20 years, according to President and Executive Director Heather Balas.

“We’re trying a new approach for the first time,” Balas said.

The group was in Gallup at the end of November, where a dozen professionals who live and work in the area met with Deputy Director Charlotte Pollard. The meeting began with Pollard asking anyone in the group what they wish the most for Gallup. Elsie Sancez, who works for a small business development center, was the first to speak up.

“I would like to have a sufficient water source for my garden. I feel guilty when I water it,” she said.

And so the two-hour meeting began with the most pressing issue facing Gallup. No matter what is accomplished, without water, there is no town. It’s reasonable to say that solving Gallup’s water issues will determine the fate of the city. Currently, the person heading that task is Lance Allgood, executive director of Gallup Joint Utilities.

Allgood is a resident of Gallup going on 40 years and has worked for the city for 21 years. He’s held his current position for nearly four years. He says it was something he got into by chance, and it worked out for him.

“Man, it was just an opportunity, I guess,” he says of his career choice.

When asked for his assessment of the water situation, he puts it this way: “It’s always in the back of my mind, and we’re doing our best to address it.”

His casual response wasn’t a statement of indifference, but more a confidence in the solutions. When asked if there’s anything that can save Gallup from an arid demise, he replies without hesitation, “You betcha.”

Currently, like much of the state, Gallup depends on underground aquifers for water. Though, unlike many other communities, the city has no river as an alternative source. Allgood says that determining exactly how much water the current aquifers hold is no easy task. According to the best estimates he’s seen, the city will run into shortages during peak months sometime around 2014.

That gives the town a bit of time, but not much. Allgood says that Gallup is tackling the problem with a four-pronged approach: Appropriating more ground water, reuse of effluent, managing the demand, and building a pipeline from the San Juan river.

There is more ground water to be had nearby. If the application is approved, the city can begin drilling for more water in the hogbacks at the edge of town. Allgood says that, according to surveys of the aquifer, there is approximately 5,000 acre feet of water available in that aquifer, which is about 1.6 billion gallons of water.

Unfortunately, the city uses about 1 billion gallons a year, which means the city will need to do more.

Another strategy is to treat and reuse water from the treatment plant, which is called effluent water. It is common practice to supply effluent water to agriculture and industry. The local golf course green is watered entirely with effluent from the treatment plant. To make the water safe for drinking requires a bit more treatment, but Allgood says that it’s not a difficult process to reach that level.

“It’s easily treatable for drinking water,” he says.

The main task is removing the salt. It’s not good for agriculture, but it’s not feasible at all for drinking water.

That requires a process of reverse osmosis, which is a practice in many cities.

The next part of the strategy is demand management. This is a matter of educating the public, providing incentives to reduce use, and alternating pricing to discourage waste and unnecessary use. The other part of demand management is to use regulation to force people to be less wasteful. This is often applied to irrigation practices, specifically resident’s lawns. City ordinances govern when a person can water, and police ticket those that over water their lawns, letting water flow into the gutters.

“The regulations approach is similar to most cities in New Mexico,” Allgood said.

In the end, though, the city will have to wean itself off ground water. Commonly known as the San Juan River Project, the ambitious effort seeks to pull water from the San Juan river and pipe it down through Navajo communities and down to Gallup. The project is in the early stages with the feasibility and environmental impact studies complete. It’s all down to legislative approval for funding and the final designs. The project will cost upwards of $800 million dollars to complete.

It is a long term solution that will finally water this thirsty city. There’s just one problem. It will take 15 to 20 years before the project is built. Without other efforts, Gallup’s aquifers will have long dried up before the San Juan water arrives. So, it’s going to take some sacrifices from the community in the meantime.

Allgood says that the community needs to be wary of just how important the resource is to the city. The success of these strategies, he says, depends on everyone’s commitment.

“I would remind everybody what they do today will determine what we have for the future. Every drop you use now counts to what you’ll have tomorrow,” he says.

TOMORROW:
Working together.