CONCLUSION: A deal climate change could bust

As part of the settlement that made the Navajo-Gallup Project a possibility, the Navajo Nation shifted its priority date from 1868, when the reservation was established and among the earliest rights in the Colorado River Basin, to 1955.

“That’s yesterday, in terms of water rights,” Brad Udall, senior water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, said.

Given that the system puts the newest rights at the top of the list to cut when faced with a shortage, that puts Navajo water supplies in the crosshairs when faced with ongoing drought and increasing aridification of the Southwest.

Flows in the entire Colorado...

Week ending Friday, June 4, 2021

Urban Microbiomes

Every city has been found to have its own unique “fingerprint” of viruses and bacteria that researchers say can probably be used by authorities to determine where someone is from with about a 90 percent accuracy. A team led by Cornell genomics expert Christopher Mason asked colleagues around the world to collect swabs from urban transport systems and conducted a genetic analysis on each. Besides finding that the larger the city, the more complex its diverse microbial life, they also discovered 10,928 viruses and 748 bacteria that were previously unknown to science. “I think it’s a wonderful affirmation of how much left we have...

With Fourth of July only 26 days away and drought conditions not getting any better, the Gallup City Council had a decision to make at its meeting June 8: To ban or not to ban— fireworks.

Gallup Fire Chief Jesus Morales and Fire Marshal Jon Pairett informed the council that the county and city’s drought conditions hadn’t changed since McKinley County Fire Chief Brian Archuleta last presented the findings to the county commissioners May 4. McKinley County is still in the D3 and D4 intensity zones according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Morales and Pairett advised the council to proclaim extreme drought and ban certain types of fireworks.

“The purpose of this proclamation is...

On June 15, the City of Gallup reported the Gibson PRV station is functional. The 16 inch line is slowly filling with water as of 9 am, which should allow customers access within a few hours.

Some customers may experience discolored water. However, there is no impact to public health. The yellowish tint is due to naturally occurring minerals which were stirred in the iron pipe of the water main.

Customers who wish to, may "self-flush" the line by turning  on cold water full force from the bathtub faucet until the water runs clear. This process could take approximately 15 minutes. Do not run hot water, as stirred up sediment can cause damage to water heaters.

Residents can pick up...