By Elizabeth Miller, New Mexico In Depth | May 11, 2021 Marjorie Childress/New Mexico In Depth People from throughout the region come into Gallup to haul water from the town’s water loading station. In July and August, about 2 million gallons are dispensed through the system. Early this year, five of Gallup, New Mexico’s 16 water wells stopped producing water, including two of its biggest. After a few days of maintenance, two worked. The other three were out of commission for more than a month. Had it happened in summer, the city might have asked residents to dramatically reduce use. “I’m not in crisis mode,” said Dennis Romero, Water and Sanitation Director for the City of Gallup, but “it could go to crisis mode very quickly.”