Tribal Natural Resources

Bipartisan Arizona bill would help fund project bringing water to 215 Navajo Nation homes

KJZZ | By Jill Ryan

Published March 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM MST

Many Navajo haul non-potable water from windmills like this one for their sheep and to do the washing.

Coverage of tribal natural resources is supported in part by Catena Foundation

A bipartisan bill that would put state funds toward a water pipeline project on the Navajo Nation passed the state Senate on Tuesday.

SB 1579 would allocate $340,000 to help with the design, planning and construction costs for the Ganado Chapter Waterline Extension Project.

Democratic state Sen. Theresa Hatathlie is the bill’s primary sponsor.

“When this is complete, it’s going to provide 215 households with running water. So that’s the impact of this bill," Hatathlie said.

Hatathlie says the state money would fill a funding deficit for the pipeline project, which was mostly federally funded.

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