35 Mining Legacies and Environmental Remediation in the Southwest
This session focuses on environmental impacts of historical and modern mining, with an emphasis on remediation practices, community partnerships, and innovative approaches to reclaiming and monitoring impacted landscapes.
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Alvarado C
Industry–Academic–Community Collaboration for Groundwater Remediation: A Community‑Scale Water Filtration System in the Navajo Nation
Paper number: 35-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
Authors
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John ByromPesco Inc., Farmington, NM
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Jianjia YuNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
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Abhishek RoyChowdhuryBentley University, Waitham, MA
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Bonnie FreyNew Mexico Institute of Mining & Tech, New Mexico Bureau of Geology, Socorro, NM
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Stephan ChaseNew Mexico Institue of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
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Laila SturgisNew Mexico Institue of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
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Darlene WilsonCrownpoint, NM
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Maurice UpshawNavajo Nation , Window Rock, AZ
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Emily WoolseyINTERA, Albuquerque, NM
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Haoying WangNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
Abstract
Access to clean and safe groundwater remains a critical challenge across the Navajo Nation due to legacy mining contamination, naturally elevated metal concentrations, and limited public water infrastructure. Since 2020, the Navajo Nation Water Purification Project (N4WPP) has brought together Navajo Technical University, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and industry partner Process Equipment & Service Company Inc. (PESCO) in a collaborative effort integrating research, education, outreach, and workforce development. Grounded in sustained trust‑building with Navajo communities, tribal leadership, and regulatory agencies, this partnership led to the successful installation of a 500‑gallon‑per‑day community‑level water filtration system in the Becenti Chapter, New Mexico. The system employs a cross‑linked polyvinylidene fluoride (CPVDF) hollow‑fiber membrane-based membrane distillation process capable of removing salts, nutrients, and metals from contaminated groundwater. Treated water is currently used for livestock and irrigation, with future pathways toward potable use. This project demonstrates how industry–academic collaboration can deliver culturally informed, scalable water solutions while supporting sustainable infrastructure development and workforce training essential to the energy transition.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 4
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026RM-410643
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