Award of a $243,370.50 contract for construction of irrigation works on the Hogback Unit of the Navajo Indian Reservation near Shiprock, New Mexico, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.
The successful bidder is Daniels Construction Co. of Albuquerque, N. Mex. Two higher bids were also received.
The contract covers construction of 14,240 feet of main canal to bring additional lands under cultivation and a 72-inch diameter siphon and concrete wasteway to protect the banks from overtopping during flash floods. Quantities of materials involved include 142,000 cubic yards of excavation, 5,000 cubic yards of structural excavation, 50,000 cubic yards of compacted embankment, and 2,750 cubic yards of concrete.
The Hogback Unit was started in 1909. Large-scale development of the unit was initiated in 1951. The project now includes 5,570 acres under irrigation which are being used by 402 Navajo families.
The present extension of the main canal is only one phase of the work that remains to be done. When completed, the project will irrigate a total of about 15,000 acres and will provide farming units of more adequate size than the present ones for more than 500 Navajo families.
