Black Mesa United, Inc.

09/24/2026

N41 Water Stand repaired & back in service.

Report vandalism to Peabody & take photos.

09/23/2026

N6 water out of service due to vandalism; N14 water available.

Please take care of the water stands. Report vandalism.

09/18/2026

Black Mesa. United is extremely grateful to OEHS Dr. Peter Littlehat, Captain Setwyn, Marty, CD Germaine Simonson, Former CD Jonathan Nez, President Buu Nygren, Black Mesa Review Board, Supervisor Fern Benally, former BMRB chair Kee Yazzie, NTUA, the construction crews, the residents who consented for right of ways, & all those who helped to make the Manymules Waterline Project Phase 1 a reality over the many decades! This was more than 10 years in the making to turn it on & community advocacy & action.

Residents in MMWLP Phase 1 who have the waterline constructed to their homes, were notified via email, texts, BMRB & BMU monthly meetings & Marty went to homes to place letters about the required water homeowners training to turn on the water at their homes.

Yesterday OEHS led in a required homeowners training for Black Mesa Peabody Leasehold MMWLP Phase 1 residents so that their water can be connected and turned on. The training involved homeowner responsibilities of maintaining the water system, their septic system and drainage field, what not to dump down the drain, how to stop water leaks, setting up an NTUA account, etc. Phase 1 Residents were given a packet with their water quality result which is valid for 30 days from the date of sample. Residents were encouraged to set up their NTUA account ASAP which costs $35. Only about 14 days remain on the Water quality result. Take your ID, SS card, NTUA account info, complete the NTUA water service application, draw a map of your home, have your GPS location, and the number on your water meter. Once you set up your account, let Manymules OEHS know so they can come out to your house to make the connection. They will remove your old cistern if you have one. You are not allowed to keep the old water cistern. You must be home when OEHS and NTUA come to make the water connections and testing to make sure it works and there are no water leaks. There is a 1 year warranty on the system and after that you are responsible for maintaining and fixing the plumbing and water features. Septic fields need to be pumped out every 1-3 years depending on use. It is the home owners responsibility.

You have about 15 days until the water quality result is invalid. If you miss the deadline, you will need to pay for another water sample to be done and it will cause unnecessary delays.

There will be no other community homeowner training schedule. If you missed yesterday's required homeowners training, you will need to set up an individual training in Many Farms. Call Manyfarms OEHS to set up your training as soon as possible.

Once again, we are so thankful to everyone who worked on this for many decades! There are still 5 more phases that need to be funded and worked on. It takes a community to make it happen wth the support of committed engineers and leaders!

Many Farms OEHS Field Office (928) 781-3817

If you are a resident within the Peabody Leasehold Area, you can attend the BMRB monthly meeting in person which is every 1st Saturday or the virtual BMU online zoom meetings held the 2nd Thursdays at 545 pm MDT. Message us to get on our list serve. We do our best to send out communications on many platforms.

09/17/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝘆𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝟴𝟬𝟲𝟱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴

WINDOW ROCK — Navajo families, school buses, workers and first responders who depend on N8065 will benefit from new gravel improvements intended to make the roadway more dependable during inclement weather.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren recently approved Attachment I to the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Navajo Nation and Navajo County, securing up to $55,000 in county funding to purchase gravel for the N8065 Road Maintenance Project in the Black Mesa and Forest Lake area.

“Navajo Route 8065 is how families reach work, how children get to school and how first responders reach people during an emergency,” President Nygren said. “When rain and snow turn a road muddy and impassable, the effects are felt throughout the community. This partnership allows us to address a longstanding, everyday concern for the people who rely on this road.”

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors approved the expenditure from District 1 Special Project Road Funds on Sept. 8. President Nygren signed Attachment I on Sept. 15, 2026.

Under the agreement, Navajo County will purchase and deliver Type 2 ABC gravel to the project area. The Navajo Nation Division of Transportation will identify, prioritize, schedule and perform the road maintenance work.

The project will place gravel along approximately 0.3 miles of N8065 to help stabilize the roadway surface. Portions of the unpaved road can become muddy and impassable during inclement weather, creating transportation challenges for local residents and the services that depend on reliable access.

“This project shows what can be accomplished when the Navajo Nation and county governments combine their resources to respond directly to community needs,” President Nygren said. “It may be a short section of road, but dependable access can make a meaningful difference for the families who travel it every day.”

N8065 is also included in NDOT’s regional road maintenance program. The agreement will help the Nation build upon that work by providing the gravel needed for this targeted improvement.

“Our people consistently identify roads as one of their most basic concerns,” President Nygren added. “We will continue pursuing every available partnership and every available dollar to improve transportation throughout the Navajo Nation. I thank Navajo County and the NDOT team for working together to move this project forward.”

The agreement remains effective through June 30, 2027, with NDOT responsible for scheduling and completing the maintenance work.

09/14/2026

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗔

WINDOW ROCK — After nearly two decades of delays, the Many Mules Water System is moving into operation, bringing Diné families in Hard Rock, Forest Lake and Black Mesa closer to dependable drinking water.

The progress comes on the heels of President Buu Nygren’s summer directive requiring the agencies involved to resolve the remaining obstacles and move the project forward. President Nygren’s directive brought the partners together to clear the way for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) to begin operating the system.

“Water is life, and every family deserves access to clean, dependable drinking water,” said President Nygren. “I appreciate every partner who helped move this long-awaited project closer to serving our communities.”

The Many Mules Water System uses wells, pumps and storage infrastructure associated with the former Peabody Mine to serve families in the Black Mesa-Peabody area of the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Area Indian Health Service has finalized a plan for transferring the system’s operations from Peabody to NTUA. While Peabody completes the required cleanup and closure of its former mining facilities, it will continue manually operating the NAV8 and NAV2 water-supply wells and the N8 booster pumps. During this period, the J28 storage tank will continue supplying the N-14 and N-6 public fill stations, KOA trailers, MCW facilities, the Ranger Station, Safety Quarters and Booster Station A.

After Peabody completes its reclamation work and leaves the site, the J28 tank and a portion of its distribution line will be deactivated. The CDK storage tank will then supply the public fill stations and other facilities while NTUA assumes long-term operations.

The plan also establishes procedures to prevent water from becoming stagnant in the Hilltop storage tank. NTUA will monitor chlorine levels and drain the tank when necessary to meet IHS water-quality standards. IHS is working to obtain a discharge permit.

Until the permit is issued, operators will follow an approved temporary process whenever the tank must be drained.

NTUA may also consider distributing the water to community members instead of releasing it onto the ground when the tank must be emptied. This would conserve the water and would not require a discharge permit.

An amendment awaiting Navajo Nation approval would provide NTUA with funding for supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, technology and related electrical equipment. These improvements would help operators monitor tank levels, manage water age and maintain the system more efficiently.

The project partners are also completing the operations agreement, rights-of-way assignments, project closeout and transfer documents. The beneficial-use permit has been signed, and NTUA will designate a representative to participate in IHS homeowner training and explain how families can activate their water accounts.

Once Phases 2, 3 and 4 are completed, the Hilltop storage tank will serve the additional infrastructure and expand access to drinking water for more families across the Black Mesa region.

“This is about the health and dignity of our people and creating a better quality of life for our people,” President Nygren said. “We will continue working with NTUA, IHS, Peabody and our local communities until families receive the reliable water service they have waited for.”

09/10/2026

PWCC filed for bond release for portions of N11 for Phase III Reclamation in the amount of $2,586,799.

Please submit public comments to:
Amy Ryser
Western Region Office
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
P.O. Box 25065
One Federal Center, Building 41
Lakewood, CO 80225-0065

Comments due October 26, 2026 by 5 pm.

09/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DvLt4hMrW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Grand opening of the Shonto LaQuinta Hotel on September 15, 2026.

08/21/2026

Come out to Forest Lake Chapter to see the youth engaged in a mocked Chapter Meeting. This will be held on August 26, 2026 beginning at 4:00 p.m.