El Paso Water to complete water plant upgrade in the US

El Paso Water Utilities has announced it will complete the ongoing $16.2m upgrade of its Fred Hervey water reclamation plant in Texas, US, by the end of this month.

Project contractor Reynolds Inc is currently completing a new treatment train, which has been tested for four months. The planned upgrade is expected to add two million gallons a day of capacity at the plant.

El Paso Water Utilities operations and technical services vice president John Balliew said that the plant was opened in 1985 and converts wastewater into drinking water that meets all state standards. He told El Paso Times that the plant has increased its capacity from 10 million gallons a day to 12 million; with its current daily production being some six million gallons of drinking-quality water, meaning there is sufficient room to meet future growth.

The reclamation plant uses a multistep process to treat wastewater, which includes filtration, use of micro-organisms, as well as powdered carbon and chemical treatment. It pumps 44% of water into the Hueco Bolson aquifer; 54% of the reclaimed water is then piped directly to Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course and El Paso Electric, while the remaining 2% goes into an adjoining wetland.

The upgrade has been funded by The Texas Water Development Board.

El Paso Public Service Board oversees the water utility and its four divisions.