Sandoval County Votes to Seek State and Federal Aid for Water Crisis

Sandoval County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to request state and federal assistance for a flooding disaster affecting the Navajo Nation. The 4-0 resolution was passed during an emergency session, with Commissioner Mike Meek absent.

The vote follows severe weather that began on Oct. 31. Heavy rains from the Jemez River and Rio Puerco watersheds caused widespread flooding in the Torreon-Star Lake, Ojo Encino, and Counselor Chapters of the Navajo Nation. The storm surge broke an 8-inch water main that serves the Ojo Encino and Torreón areas.

The damage extended beyond the main break. Flooding washed out local roads and water lines, leaving residents without running water. The Ojo Encino Chapter also lost electrical service during the storm. The resolution states that operational issues at the Bloomfield water treatment facility have further reduced the supply, noting that water availability may remain inadequate even after repairs are completed.

Commissioner Josh Jones read the resolution, which details the immediate response. Sandoval County, local fire services, the San Luis-Cabezon Mutual Domestic Water Association, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, and New Mexico Rural Water are providing bottled water and tanker trucks through emergency purchases and mutual aid.

The county determined that local resources are insufficient to cover the cost of restoring service, repairing the main, and reactivating former wells. The resolution argues that the scale of the damage poses a threat to public health and safety if state and federal help is not secured.

The resolution specifically asks Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a state of emergency. It also requests that the Navajo Nation declare a disaster. The document authorizes the county to accept aid from both state and federal governments to address dangers to property, infrastructure, and public health in the affected chapter houses.

The commission approved the measure to facilitate all available resources for the residents facing these conditions. The vote concludes the county's immediate administrative response to the Oct. 31 storms.