CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) - A multimillion-dollar project aimed at shoring up drinking water supplies for communities in eastern New Mexico is marching ahead.

The Eastern New Mexico News reports the pipeline project stretching back over half a century finally broke ground last week.

The $28.6 million project has been a major focus of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority since 2016, when it completed the phase 1 of a $14 million intake structure at the Ute Reservoir in Quay County.

Decades in the making, the project aims to ease the strain on the Ogallala aquifer along the Texas-New Mexico border by tapping into Ute Reservoir.

The idea over the next several years is to create lateral connections to all the nearby communities.

Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com

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