Published on January 14, 2026
EL PASO – Crews are making steady progress to repair a broken large water main that interrupted service for many Northeast and Central residents. Days of pumping out and diverting water from the site allowed crews last night to remove a large, damaged segment of the 36-inch water main that caused the draining of 15 reservoirs Jan. 11. This morning, crew members successfully began the welding process to repair.
Two days ago, approximately 38,000 customer connections — more than 100,000 people — were without water. Thanks to EPWater efforts to move water from different parts of the system, that number has been reduced to an estimated 8,000 customer connections serving 24,000 people.
The extensive transition to full restoration follows. Repressurizing the system must be done slowly and carefully to avoid additional line breaks. The system will be flushed through hydrants to remove sediment and restore chlorine levels. Customers should expect to see water on area streets over the next 24 hours until the process is complete. Even after water service is restored, the boil water notice remains in effect for the entire identified area in this map.
“Restoring water service is our highest priority along with protecting water quality for every resident,” said Vice President of Operations and Technical Services Gilbert Trejo. “We thank residents, business owners and schools for their patience. Restoring the system is a slow process to avoid damaging remaining infrastructure.”
Although preliminary water lab results from affected areas are encouraging, the boil water notice remains in place until required sampling is completed. This is a precautionary public health measure required when system pressure drops, introducing the potential risk of contamination. Please do not drink tap water, cook, brush teeth, make ice or give it to pets until it has been deemed safe to consume. Use boiled or bottled water.
Water use
Water is safe for hand-washing, dishwashing and bathing. EPWater will notify customers once the water is confirmed to be safe to drink. Customers are asked to:
• Boil all water used for drinking, cooking and ice-making for three minutes, then allow it to cool.
• Use bottled water as an alternative.
In addition, area restaurants are asked to refrain from serving fountain drinks or using ice machines connected to tap water. Please turn them off, discard any ice and wait for the advisory to be lifted.
Deceptive notices
Related to the water outage, EPWater is receiving reports again about suspicious notices being left at customers’ homes, questioning the safety of their water. Businesses are using water notices to mislead customers into buying unnecessary water filtration systems that cost up to $10,000.
Water from most home filtration systems still must be boiled. Most filters do not remove bacteria or viruses.
Questionable business practices and suspected fraud may be reported to the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam.
Water distribution
EPWater’s community partners continue to volunteer at distribution sites and increase the amount of water availability in Northeast and Central El Paso to meet demand. Nonprofit organizations, Fort Bliss, and several local engineering and construction firms donated bottled water and the use of water tankers.
Below is a list of the water distribution sites managed by EPWater that will be operational from
5 a.m. to midnight. Customers should bring their own containers to the following sites:
• North Skies Park, 7073 Copper Town Drive
• Sue Young Park, 9730 Diana Drive
• Arlington Park, 10350 Pasadena Circle
• Sunrise Park, 3800 Sunrise Ave.
• Chisolm Park (across from Clendenin Elementary School), 2700 Harrison Ave.
• Grandview Park, 3100 Jefferson Ave.
For updated information, please visit epwater.org and our social media platforms.