El Paso Knows the Future of Water

Abstract

In water years, a decade is not long. That is, however, how long it has been since I first visited El Paso Water (El Paso, Texas). Back then, in 2015, society had not experienced (and in many cases had not anticipated) events like the COVID-19 lockdown, the sudden popularity of Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings, or the acceleration of artificial intelligence technology. While these now commonly accepted cultural and business changes were not on anyone's drawing board in 2015, El Paso Water's drawing board included a quieter vision that was 10 mgd more important to its water supply and to its sustainability and resilience.

El Paso Water's vision, and the impetus for my visit in 2015, was to develop a direct potable reuse treatment plant that would produce drinking water from treated wastewater and safely introduce that water directly into the drinking water distribution system. You read that correctly: directly into the drinking water distribution system. It would become the first of its kind in the United States.

It's worth noting that before implementing its vision of direct potable reuse, El Paso Water had decades of experience in treating wastewater to drinking water standards and using that reuse water to recharge and help preserve its Hueco Bolson aquifer.

The exciting news: At the end of this past February, El Paso Water's vision reached a major milestone. After a decade of planning, piloting, and public engagement, El Paso Water broke ground on its Pure Water Center (known during the development phase as the Advance Water Purification Facility). The windy and dusty conditions of the day did not stop El Paso Water's leaders and local dignitaries, government officials, and water professionals from gathering in a big white tent. The ceremony's opening comments paid tribute to the achievement and were followed by the actual groundbreaking. It is safe to say that as a guest, I was not alone in feeling the significance of water history being made.

El Paso Water's president and CEO, John Balliew, breaks ground on the Pure Water Center. Photo by David LaFrance

Second, El Paso leaders understand that the solution is more than just a building. The solution is properly implementing new operations to serve customers safely and sustainably. As Angel Bustamante, wastewater systems division manager at El Paso Water, enthusiastically put it, “Reuse is the next step and the way of the future,” and with it come new, complicated challenges that will fall to the operators. As a result, “we need to support the operators who provide the water that customers drink,” Angel said.

Third, one of the wonderful qualities of water professionals is a willingness to freely share ideas and best practices. As the Pure Water Center advances and becomes operational, it is inevitable that other water professionals will want to learn from this first-of-its-kind water system. While perhaps not the goal and not anticipated in the original vision, it is not a stretch to anticipate that El Paso Water is likely to become a “celebrity utility,” attracting a large fan base of other utilities looking to learn from utility staff.

Finally, El Paso Water does not just know the future of its water; it is also modeling AWWA's Water 2050 vision. It is demonstrating how utilities can fully embrace a One Water approach, developing a circular-economy culture, and implementing innovation and technology across the full water cycle. You can learn more about the Water 2050 vision at https://awwa.org/water2050.

The opening of the Pure Water Center is scheduled for late 2028—very soon in water years. With some luck, and crossed fingers, maybe AWWA will be invited to attend the ribbon-cutting (hint, hint).