Pumping Water With DigDeep
Pumping Water With DigDeep
The founders behind DIGDEEP Believe that water access is a basic human right. They hope to bring this basic right to the Navajo Nation by digging wells in New Mexico, outfitting water delivery trucks, and installing hot and cold running water in local homes. This project aims to equip homes with 1200 gallon tank, a Grundfos Scala pump, tankless water heater, particulate filter, sink, and gravel drainage field. DIGDEEP projects are community led, with the homeowners being taught how to maintain, repair, and upgrade their system once installed.
The Rig: Grundfos Scala Pump
Approximate cost: $4500
Donations: 100% of donations go to funding water projects
Current limitations: Cannot implement systems in more than half of Navajo homes due to lack of electricity
Future Applications: Design a photovoltaic-powered system that can safely store, pump, and filter water in homes with no electricity
Our Research: Water Quality
Groundwater is the most heavily utilized and dependable municipal water source for the Navajo Nation.
Since the 1950s, their water has been poisoned by uranium mining to fuel the nuclear industry and the making of atomic bombs for the U.S. military.
The aquifer underlying the community of Smith Lake is considered to have a poor water quality, but they rely on it as their primary source of water.
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is designed to provide a long-term sustainable water supply to meet the future population needs of approximately 250,000 people in these communities by the year 2040 through the annual delivery of 37,764 acre-feet of water from the San Juan Basin.
Major infrastructure project consisting of 280 miles of pipeline, several pumping plants, and two water treatment plants.
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The project’s eastern branch will divert approximately 4,645 acre-feet of water annually with no return flow to the San Juan River. The project’s western branch will divert the remaining 33,119 acre-feet of water with an anticipated average annual return flow of 1,871 acre-feet.
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Ground water levels for the city of Gallup have dropped approximately 200 feet over the past 10 years
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Takes into account the quality of local groundwater and the dwindling supply
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Backed by the Obama Administration
