KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz. — Runners gathered on a crisp dawn July 30 at the starting line at the Hopi Veterans Memorial Center to run the 10K Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Projection (HAMP) Celebration run.
The Celebration run was significant because for the Hopi senom running is an act of prayer for rain, which brings water for life and sustenance in the high desert region in northeastern Arizona, and in this case, it was befitting the celebration for completion of a regional water delivery system for the community.
The HAMP dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony started shortly after 9 a.m. with Hopi Tribal Vice Chairman Craig Andrews serving as the emcee for the event.
He introduced Leigh Lomayestewa, Shungopavi Kikmongwi, who provided a Hopi prayer. Hopi Tribal Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma followed by welcoming the community and special guests to the celebration and talking about the long history of the Hopi Tribe, affected villages and federal partners working together to find a best solution to address the high level of arsenic in the water from wells at First and Second Mesa and further east in Keams Canyon.
The wells serving the community were first installed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in the 1960s. In 2002, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) revised its drinking water standards for public water systems, which reduced the federal maximum contaminant level of arsenic from 50 parts per billion to 10 ppb.
Enforcement of the standards began in 2006 and six wells from Second Mesa to Keams Canyon were found to be out of compliance with the new standards, some exceeding safe levels by as much as three times the allowable contaminants.
Efforts began soon after to address the violations with mixed results.
In June 2017 the Hopi Tribal Council created the Hopi Utilities Corporation (HUC) to manage the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project (HAMP) as a regional water delivery system to replace the arsenic contaminated water.
The price tag for the project is more than $20 million.
During the celebration ceremony, the engineer for the project DB Stephens & Associates and the Contractor WW Clyde shared their experience working on the
project and provided a 3D model as well as a 13-minute fly-over of the entire regional water system, with close to 40 miles of pipeline starting from wells some 15 miles north of the Hopi Cultural Center.
EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman, Indian Health Service Phoenix Area Director Dr. Ty Reidhead and BIA Regional Environmental Scientist John Krause were all recognized as important partners for the project and provided remarks during the celebration.
Members of the Hopi Tribal Council joined Nuvangyaoma and Andrews in the Ribbon Cutting ceremony. The Shongopufhoyam Youth Dance Group showed up late to the event, but their performance stole the show and some in the audience couldn’t resist in joining the dance, as is tradition.
Chef Raymond Namoki provided a Hopi traditional meal for all the guests at the conclusion of the event. All the guests and attendees went home with a HAMP Celebration t-shirt.
Construction is underway to extend and connect the regional water system to the BIA water system at Keams Canyon.
More information about the HAMP is available by contacting Water Utility General Manager Selwyn Sekaquaptewa at (928) 310-7057 or ssekaquaptewa@hopiuc.com.
KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz. — Runners gathered on a crisp dawn July 30 at the starting line at the Hopi Veterans Memorial Center to run the 10K Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Projection (HAMP) Celebration run.
The Celebration run was significant because for the Hopi senom running is an act of prayer for rain, which brings water for life and sustenance in the high desert region in northeastern Arizona, and in this case, it was befitting the celebration for completion of a regional water delivery system for the community.
The HAMP dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony started shortly after 9 a.m. with Hopi Tribal Vice Chairman Craig Andrews serving as the emcee for the event.
He introduced Leigh Lomayestewa, Shungopavi Kikmongwi, who provided a Hopi prayer. Hopi Tribal Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma followed by welcoming the community and special guests to the celebration and talking about the long history of the Hopi Tribe, affected villages and federal partners working together to find a best solution to address the high level of arsenic in the water from wells at First and Second Mesa and further east in Keams Canyon.
The wells serving the community were first installed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in the 1960s. In 2002, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) revised its drinking water standards for public water systems, which reduced the federal maximum contaminant level of arsenic from 50 parts per billion to 10 ppb.
Enforcement of the standards began in 2006 and six wells from Second Mesa to Keams Canyon were found to be out of compliance with the new standards, some exceeding safe levels by as much as three times the allowable contaminants.
Efforts began soon after to address the violations with mixed results.
In June 2017 the Hopi Tribal Council created the Hopi Utilities Corporation (HUC) to manage the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project (HAMP) as a regional water delivery system to replace the arsenic contaminated water.
The price tag for the project is more than $20 million.
During the celebration ceremony, the engineer for the project DB Stephens & Associates and the Contractor WW Clyde shared their experience working on the
project and provided a 3D model as well as a 13-minute fly-over of the entire regional water system, with close to 40 miles of pipeline starting from wells some 15 miles north of the Hopi Cultural Center.
EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman, Indian Health Service Phoenix Area Director Dr. Ty Reidhead and BIA Regional Environmental Scientist John Krause were all recognized as important partners for the project and provided remarks during the celebration.
Members of the Hopi Tribal Council joined Nuvangyaoma and Andrews in the Ribbon Cutting ceremony. The Shongopufhoyam Youth Dance Group showed up late to the event, but their performance stole the show and some in the audience couldn’t resist in joining the dance, as is tradition.
Chef Raymond Namoki provided a Hopi traditional meal for all the guests at the conclusion of the event. All the guests and attendees went home with a HAMP Celebration t-shirt.
Construction is underway to extend and connect the regional water system to the BIA water system at Keams Canyon.
More information about the HAMP is available by contacting Water Utility General Manager Selwyn Sekaquaptewa at (928) 310-7057 or ssekaquaptewa@hopiuc.com.