Secretary Salazar, Navajo President Shelly, Senators Bingaman and Udall to Break Ground Saturday on Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project

GALLUP, N.M. – On Saturday, June 2, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly will break ground on the long-awaited Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project in New Mexico. Eventually the project will provide a 280-mile-long pipeline, two water treatment plants and delivery systems that will bring water to more than 250,000 people at more than 43 Navajo chapters, portions of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the city of Gallup.

The initial stage of construction on the project that begins on Saturday will create upwards of 450 jobs, with more than 650 jobs at peak construction.

Secretary Salazar and President Shelly will be joined by a wide variety of other top tribal, state. Federal and local officials for the ceremony; a partial list follows.

WHO: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly

Jicarilla Apache Nation President Levi Pesata

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Johnny Naize

Senator Jeff Bingaman

Senator Tom Udall

Mike Connor, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

N.M. State Representative Patti Lundstrom

N.M. State Engineer Scott Verhines

City of Gallup Mayor Jackie McKinney

WHAT: Program on construction site including plaque unveiling and ceremonial shovel-turning followed by lunch hosted by the Navajo Nation at the nearby Chee Dodge Elementary School

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2012 @ 10:00 a.m. MDT.

Please allow time for media set-up, as the event will start promptly as scheduled due to tight schedules

WHERE: @10 miles north of Gallup, N.M. on Hwy 491 near the community of Twin Lakes