Lots of hopes are attached with a pipeline project that will bring billions of gallons of water per years to certain areas of eastern New Mexico that are facing drought-stricken situation.

There is no doubt that this project would act as a lifeline for many communities living in and near those areas. Negative point is that the pipeline will not reach the region for more than a decade. But officials were of the view that some areas do not have that much time and wells will dry up.

The construction is taking place at a slow rate, and could be considered as the most expensive infrastructure project to data for the state. Experts affirmed that the slow pace of the project highlights the challenges faced by many states that are looking up to start such projects.

It is a very tough situation for officials, who have been struggling to complete the large-scale water infrastructure projects at the time when populations are on rise, shortage of drinking water resources and federal dollars are dwindling.

The federal government will be paying around $3 billion to complete many rural water projects around the nation. The amount will increase as the time will pass and this has left states and local water authorities to fill the financial void.

One of the projects in the West requires moving water from four remote valleys in eastern Nevada to Las Vegas in order to reduce the region’s dependence on the Colorado River.

“People are going to have to understand that in the West, that old saying 'whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting' — that's where we are right now”, affirmed Gayla Brumfield, chairwoman of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority.