Sandoval County: Navajo Nation floods trigger disaster declaration

Sandoval County Commission members voted unanimously on Tuesday to declare a flooding disaster in the Navajo Nation, formally requesting aid from state and federal governments. The 4-0 vote followed an emergency session in Bernalillo, with Commissioner Mike Meek absent.

Commissioner Josh Jones read the resolution, which detailed the impact of severe flooding that began on Oct. 31. The storm affected the Torreon-Star Lake, Ojo Encino, and Counselor Chapters of the Navajo Nation, as well as areas served by the Jemez River and Rio Puerco watersheds.

The weather event caused a break in an 8-inch water main that supplies the Ojo Encina and Torreón areas. The failure washed out additional water lines and roads, leaving residents without running water. The Ojo Encino Chapter also lost electrical service during the storm.

Operational issues at the Bloomfield water treatment facility have further reduced the local water supply. Jones noted that the supply may remain inadequate even after the damaged main is repaired. The resolution states that the loss of potable water threatens public health and safety.

Local agencies, including Sandoval County 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 tankers through emergency purchases and mutual aid. The resolution asserts that the cost and scope of restoring service and reactivating former wells exceed the county's current resources.

The document calls on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a state of emergency and asks the Navajo Nation to declare a disaster. It authorizes the county to accept assistance from both levels of government to address dangers to property, infrastructure, and public health faced by residents in the affected chapter houses.