Older Stories

El Paso Water is a rare phenom in the water industry, as the utility’s female engineers in leadership continue to shatter barriers and build diversity.

Just days into the new year, crews began pumping wastewater into the newly replaced Frontera pipeline to the John T. Hickerson Water Reclamation Facility, which had been partially operating since August.

Nearly two years after the pandemic hit El Paso, the Carlos M. Ramirez TecH₂O Water Resources Learning Center remains closed to the public, but the educational outreach to students is flourishing.

Vice President Alan Shubert’s greatest contributions to El Paso Water will be appreciated long after he retires, thanks to the many talented employees he groomed for promotion.

When water freezes, it expands in volume by nearly 10%, that extra pressure can result in broken water lines that lead to costly repairs and water leaks at your home or business.

A 9% increase in water rates, a 13% increase in wastewater rates and 9% increase in stormwater fees would help El Paso Water reinforce infrastructure overdue for upgrades and expand systems to sustain city growth, EPWater officials told the Public Service Board.

If poured down the sink, FOG can clog wastewater lines and potentially lead to wastewater backing up into your home or neighborhood.

One of President/CEO John Balliew’s earliest memories at El Paso Water involves Civil Engineering Professor Anthony Tarquin of the University of Texas at El Paso.

Standing firmly on 22 acres of land next to the U.S. Mexico border, the Roberto R. Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant is celebrating 30 years of operation.

Some of the hardest working insects in the world may also be the most intimidating, but that did not stop El Paso Water from saving a bee colony containing tens of thousands of honeybees.

During this season of spooky stories and spine-chilling encounters, it is only fitting that one El Paso Water employee shared his experiences of paranormal activity while working at the Robertson/Umbenhauer Water Treatment Plant, also known as Canal Plant, several years ago.

As part of the emergency declaration of the stormwater system approved by the Public Service Board (PSB) on July 14, residents near the Sam Snead Recovery project in the Pico Norte area will soon see accelerated productivity on the job site.

There’s no doubt about it -- monsoon season is officially upon us. Beginning on June 27, a series of heavy rainstorms blanketed the borderland for several days, putting much of the city’s stormwater infrastructure to the test.

Through partnerships with Project BRAVO and Amistad, El Paso Water customers have received water bill assistance this year totaling $1.1 million. This funding was made possible because of federal CARES Act funding distributed by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the City of El Paso to Project BRAVO and Amistad, respectively.

The first phase of the Montana Vista Wastewater Project is nearly complete, with over 500 customers connected to the EPWater wastewater system for the very first time.

Millions of gallons of water travel through our desert city every day to ensure customers can open faucets, flush toilets, and maintain landscapes -- simple tasks that typically do not require a second thought. At El Paso Water, every employee carries the large responsibility of serving our community with the common goal of enhancing the vitality of El Paso.

During times of drought, we have to manage our wells carefully because every drop of water counts. That is why EPWater has been doing proactive well maintenance across the city since last fall in preparation for less river water this summer.

Last month, Stormwater Division Manager Gisela Dagnino was appointed to the state’s first Regional Flood Planning Group for the Upper Rio Grande Region, a group charged with identifying specific flood risks and strategies to improve public safety and reduce damages caused by flooding.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of access to safe and reliable drinking water for health, hydration, and hygienic needs. Drinking Water Week, May 2-8, is an opportunity for us to recognize the vital role tap water plays in our daily lives, the infrastructure required to carry it to and from our homes and businesses and the hard work that goes into delivering quality drinking water to your tap.

The Van Buren Dam in Central El Paso has a fresh look thanks to an Earth Day clean-up event organized by City Rep. Alexsandra Annello.

In partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and New Mexico State University (NMSU), EPWater’s TecH2O Center is offering two free virtual landscape workshops April 14 and 21 from 6-7 p.m. The workshops will provide tips on how to curate the perfect desert-friendly oasis.

The pipelines connecting the two facilities, called the Frontera Force Mains, carry millions of gallons of wastewater from approximately 150,000 residential and commercial customers on El Paso’s westside every day to be treated at the Hickerson Plant.

This year marks a huge milestone for El Paso Water – 30 years of conservation. El Paso’s Water Conservation Ordinance was implemented on April 1, 1991. The ordinance, along with El Paso Water’s conservation program have helped reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent over the last three decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global shutdown of businesses, leaving many buildings vacant for months. As the El Paso community slowly begins to reopen and reoccupy buildings, El Paso Water is urging property and business owners to be mindful of potential health risks posed by stagnant water in pipes and take steps to prevent contamination.

The work of an El Paso Water field crew can take them to all parts of the city, from residential neighborhoods to traffic-filled intersections, but the busy streets are where they need the most protection. The utility recently added a Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA), a mobile crash cushion attached to the back of an EPWater vehicle's frame.

Spring is a time for growth and opportunity when we shake off the cold of winter and embrace warmer temperatures. In El Paso, it is also the time of year when our most precious resource is in high demand.

When a $209,000 check from El Paso Electric (EPE) arrived for energy efficiency improvements at the Jonathan Rogers Water Treatment Plant, it was a pleasant surprise – but one that involved nearly five years of coordination between EPWater and EPE.

El Paso Water has presented a $10,000 check to the University of Texas at El Paso and announced a new student research program established in honor of former utility President and CEO Ed Archuleta, who served for 24 years in that role and is recognized nationally for bold initiatives to build a sustainable water supply for El Paso.

Continued drought has impacted the water supply El Paso receives from the Rio Grande. The city’s growth is also a factor in EPWater’s long-term water management planning to ensure the community has water for the future.

A year of challenges was also a year of accomplishments for El Paso Water, as we successfully adapted our business practices to continue to provide reliable water, wastewater and stormwater services to customers.

Excavation work is done on the Upson Drive Water Main and Sanitary Sewer Improvements project in the Sunset Heights neighborhood.

Dell City in Hudspeth County is seeing unwelcome visitors who may assume they are on public lands but are trespassing and hunting illegally, with devastating wildlife consequences.

The Sunset Heights Pump Station and Reservoir is made up of two tanks with the capability of holding up to eight million gallons of water.

Native vegetation and wildlife are slowly thriving in the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in El Paso’s Lower Valley. The wetlands landscape is evolving, but much work remains to restore the site to its former historical splendor.

Seeking to minimize the need for large fee increases in the near future, the Public Service Board is considering a proposal that would add a $0.26 increase in stormwater fee to the residential customer’s monthly bill.

A 2% increase in both water and wastewater rates will help rehabilitate El Paso Water’s aging infrastructure and expand systems for city growth. President and CEO John Balliew and staff members presented the utility’s proposed Fiscal Year 2021-22 Water/Wastewater and Stormwater budgets to the Public Service Board on Nov. 30.

It has been nearly a year since El Paso Water marked the start of the Montana Vista Wastewater Project, a project bringing first-time wastewater service to the Far East El Paso community. So far, EPWater has completed service line installations for more than half of customers in the project’s first phase, about 429 customers. In addition to the completed wastewater lines, about 440 residences have partially completed lines.

Juarez and his volunteers, all EPWater employees, produced another jaw-dropping float to represent the utility for this year’s virtual event. Star Wars fans will marvel at the addition of speeder bikes ridden by bike scout troopers from “The Mandalorian” web TV series.

The San Lorenzo Stormwater and Wastewater Improvement Project will remove an old and deteriorating stormwater pipe along San Lorenzo Drive and replace it with a newer, more durable pipe. A wastewater line that conflicts with the alignment of the stormwater system will also be replaced.

Sending fats, oils, and greases down your drain can causes blockages in pipes.

The next river water allocation from the Rio Grande is months away, but it is crunch time for El Paso Water to ensure the utility is prepared for an anticipated shorter river water season. In September, the Public Service Board approved the drilling of six additional wells to increase our groundwater supply as a proactive measure to meet water demands at the hottest time of the year.

According to property repair experts, a broken ½ inch water pipe could spill as much as 50 gallons per minute depending on the size of the break. EPWater urges customers to protect their pipes in cooler weather.

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, which offers an opportunity to highlight a special connection between the two organizations. Goodwill Mission Services helps unemployed individuals prepare for the job search, many of them with learning or physical disabilities.

Pre-pandemic, work at the TecH2O primarily revolved around organizing family signature events, educational workshops, field trips, and customer audits and consultations to reduce water consumption. The TecH2O serves as El Paso Water’s premiere platform to educate El Pasoans on water management in the Chihuahuan Desert.

The recent end of spring river flows from Elephant Butte Reservoir signal the beginning of the maintenance transition for employees of EPWater’s two river water treatment plants. The Jonathan Rogers and the Robertson/Umbenhauer – aka the Canal Plant – water treatment plants are buzzing with activity as maintenance season gets underway.

It has been more than a year since El Paso Water swooped in to help build a home for a pair of burrowing owls during the construction of a stormwater improvement project at Thomas Manor Park Pond. The habitat built in the spring of 2019 proved to be successful. The pair immediately moved in, just in time for mating season, and several owlets were born. In a sad turn of events, it was discovered that two of the owls were killed at Thomas Manor Park Pond in July.

Water is not typically synonymous with the desert, but for El Paso Water, the two go hand in hand. The utility’s leadership is helping pave the way for EPWater to remain at the forefront of water reuse.

It happened so quickly that the significance didn’t dawn on the Public Service Board (PSB) until the annual election of officers was over. When the PSB elected its officers for 2020 in August, all three positions were filled by its female members.

El Paso Water wants to help you conserve water and at the same time save money. More time indoors means do-it-yourself home improvement projects are on the rise.

Residents of a Lower Valley community are once again welcoming the feel and smell of freshly watered grass at Thomas Manor Park after a recent transformation that will benefit the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Vice President of Strategic, Financial and Management Services was recently recognized as one of the university’s esteemed Gold Nugget Award recipients, which is awarded to alumni who have made exceptional contributions to their professions and community. Honored by the University of Texas at El Paso as a female pioneer in her field, Navarrete was also named a Woman of Impact by El Paso Inc. in 2016.

El Paso builders and developers can now complete basic utility work such as manhole installations and fire hydrant relocations that previously only El Paso Water crews were allowed to perform.

El Paso Water’s Willie the Water Drop is coming to a small screen near you, urging preschoolers to use water wisely at home. The short videos will feature Willie engaging with April Lopez, Water Conservation Specialist, immersing young viewers in conservation lessons, with plenty of positive reinforcement thrown in for good measure.

The Upson Drive Main Improvement Project will remove and replace the existing water and wastewater mains and service lines within the Sunset Heights Historic District. But the nature of the ground in this area presented engineers with a major obstacle.

Some customers have recently reached out to EPWater with concerns about their water having a musty taste and odor. In an effort to combat the recent mustiness, EPWater has increased the use of powdered activated carbon.

With the exception of some of the older ones, El Paso Water’s elevated water storage tanks are understated. But in far east El Paso, the 2.5 MG Ranchos Real Tank stands out from the rest.

El Paso Water launched the design of a new project to take treated Rio Grande water during plentiful years and use it to recharge a local aquifer.

At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, many utility employees who perform services mostly unseen by the public had to adapt and innovate to support field and plant operations to keep the utility functioning.

Technology employed at El Paso Water’s Frontera Lift Station continues to draw the international spotlight – this time from the recent 2020 Water Environment Federation (WEF) Collections System Digital Conference.

A restoration of the Sunset Heights Pump Station and Reservoir was already part of El Paso Water’s capital improvement plan. After all, the facility built in the early 1920s is one of El Paso Water’s oldest structures. But then the earthquake happened.

As state and local leaders take steps to ease COVID-19 restrictions, Dr. Kristina Mena is helping to shape health guidance needed to reopen Texas and El Paso.

Before flushing wipes, face coverings or latex gloves, El Paso Water urges residents to consider the consequences. With more residents wearing personal protective equipment during the pandemic, EPWater employees are facing a spike in blockages that is seriously straining the city’s wastewater system.

On Monday April 20, six homes connected to the new Montana Vista Wastewater System, which will bring first-time wastewater service to nearly 800 homes in a first phase.

In the Chihuahuan Desert of El Paso, there is comfort in knowing that EPWater’s critical facilities are staffed and operational during the current health crisis. The utility provides safe drinking water that we all can trust, eliminating the need to purchase bottled water. 

Social-distancing guidelines were quickly implemented in early March, and customer services shifted online to reduce the risk of exposure, minimize the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of employees and customers. With new safety protocols in place, EPWater moved to ensure critical facilities would keep taps flowing.

Shady, colorful desert plants dot landscapes across the city, where large, water-wasting lawns are no longer the standard. For nearly 30 years, El Pasoans have been doing their part to conserve our most precious resource in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Each year, EPWater employees plan and host fundraising events on personal time for a charity approved by the Public Service Board. Since 2009, employees have raised more than $367,000 for 11 local charities. Among past recipients are Law N Paws and Operation School Bell.

There are some very hard workers at El Paso Water wastewater plants. They work without pay and without breaks. And they work their entire lives; no retirement for them. But they need our help protecting them.

With the shortage of toilet paper due to the coronavirus outbreak, many people are turning to wipes and paper towels instead. Disinfection wipes are used in every household as people try to sanitize anything and everything 24/7. But before you try to flush them down the toilet, heed this warning: there is no such thing as a flushable wipe.

EPWater invests money in state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, tests water continuously through all phases of treatment and distribution to the customer, and ensures employees receive training in the leading water quality practices and technologies.

Companies selling home filtration systems may allege that El Paso tap water is unsafe to drink. But El Pasoans have every reason to be confident in their tap water quality.

At EPWater, more and more women are now working in positions traditionally held by men.

El Paso Water presented a check for $25,000 to the City of El Paso at their Council Meeting on Feb. 18 to help make more municipal buildings water efficient.

Moments after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the National Water Reuse Action Plan at their headquarters in Washington DC, David Ross Assistant Administrator of Water for EPA, sat down with El Paso Water to discuss the plan and discuss how El Paso Water plays an important role in the effort.

El Paso Water is building diversity in leadership for women in the water sector, with six female engineers at the helm.

Residents along Sam Snead Drive in El Paso are looking forward to improved flood control as El Paso Water overhauls the stormwater system in the Pico Norte area.

Because the Montana Vista Wastewater system is gravity-based, that gravity flow had to be designed. To achieve the necessary four-degree slope, the deepest manholes at the bottom of the system are a whopping 30 feet deep.

La Posada Home, a shelter that has helped redefine the lives of El Paso families affected by domestic violence, was approved by the Public Service Board on Feb. 12 as El Paso Water’s Charity of Choice for the 2020. The selection kicks off an employee-organized fundraising season.

Every year, thousands flock to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and travel the famed Route 66. Infrastructure is everywhere you look – even underground – and chances are that technology either helped build it or helps test and maintain it. To inspire the next generation of engineers, El Paso Water is hosting a free, family friendly event called DiscoverE – Building Curiosity.

The Public Service Board (PSB) approved the El Paso Water Budget for fiscal year 2020-21. There is no increase to stormwater fees, but the new budget includes a 5% increase to water and wastewater rates. Beginning March 1, the average residential customer will see an increase of about $2.81 on their monthly bill.

Teresa Alcala and Anai Padilla are raising El Paso Water’s profile as members of the all-female Desert Mountain Chapter committee of Texas AWWA.

Customers usually know exactly what they’re getting for their money when they receive a bill. Most can glance at the pump for the price of gas, look at a list of items at the grocery checkout or they know how much data is in their phone plan. But do you know what you’re getting for your monthly El Paso Water bill?

A Winter Waterland event will kick off the center’s new H2Open House Series designed to educate and engage youth during school breaks throughout the year.

El Paso Water invested $1.9 million in the first phase of Pico Norte Stormwater Pond improvements. As a result, over 1,100 properties were officially removed from the FEMA flood zone.

When El Paso Water’s 2019 Sun Bowl Parade entry – dubbed Water Wars – rolled up, it was clear to bystanders and competitors that utility employees had built another Sweepstakes Award winner.

The last thing anyone wants to think about concerning Thanksgiving meals is the dishwashing that will inevitably follow. But alas, El Paso Water wants you to think about this very important aspect, especially when it comes to disposing of fats, oils and greases, also known as FOG.

In the end, the official groundbreaking for Phase I of the Montana Vista Wastewater Project was all about the community. The project will bring first-time wastewater service to nearly 800 residents in Far East El Paso.

Drawing inspiration from a television show, El Paso Water tests hands-free radio headsets to improve communication and safety at work sites.

River water season has officially dried up for the year, kicking off the beginning of maintenance at El Paso Water’s two river water treatment plants.

For decades, employees have been sharing ghost stories of the multiple sightings reported at the Robertson/Umbenhauer Plant – dubbed the Canal Plant by locals.

El Paso Water joined forces with media partner KTSM to make “Imagine A Day Without Water” more of a reality. For the fifth year in a row, water providers across the nation raised awareness about the value of water and the needed investment in water infrastructure.

EPWater employees organized various fundraising events after hours or on weekends, and raised $61,000 for Law N’ Paws. They presented a check to the rescue at the October Public Service Board meeting.

When the project to construct the Silver Springs Arroyo Dam was completed in early October, a unique phase two to develop a site vegetation restoration plan began.

At the September Public Service Board meeting, EPWater detailed its latest innovation to provide load-shifting capability that enables certain wastewater streams to shift from one treatment plant to another.

White, an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, will host the Fall WaterSmart Landscape Series on Sept. 21 and Sept. 28 at El Paso Water’s TecH2O Learning Center, 10751 Montana Ave. The sessions, both from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., are free and open to the public.

Superintendent Ruben Montes couldn’t wait to introduce the Robertson/Umbenhauer Water Treatment Plant to visitors who were there to tour and learn more about how the plant produces clean drinking water from Rio Grande water.

As one of the TecH2O center’s signature events, the popular Science Fair Blast Off offers students a one-stop-shop for ideas on science fair projects and an opportunity to learn about El Paso’s regional water resources and conservation.

El Paso Water is one step closer to building the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded the utility a $3.5 million grant through the congressionally-authorized Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects.