This American border city is unique for many reasons besides its location between Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas. If you truly are a sun chaser, this border city is the place to be, as it enjoys 302 days of sunshine on average annually. Lots of sunshine in combination with its location means a high probability of water being scarce. Thankfully, they came prepared. America has revealed the water tech that no one saw coming, and the results are mind-boggling.
The water tech no one saw coming
A unique blend of history and culture, and extremely low annual rainfall. This is how many people know this border city, El Paso, in Texas. The city’s annual rainfall is less than nine inches, and in 2023 and 2024, the city experienced its hottest two years in history. It goes to show, the Earth’s climate is changing. Thankfully, El Paso started preparations for its hotter, drier climate decades ago.
The city traditionally depended on the Rio Grande River, which has almost dried up. It turned to Hueco Bolson, an artesian spring shared with Ciudad Juárez across the border. In the meantime, a utility called El Paso Water strategically secured a water portfolio in the Chihuahuan Desert and recently announced that its latest project will ensure a reserve for its 700,000 residents.
The project comprises a state-of-the-art water purification facility that will supply 10 million gallons of a purified reserve from the city’s wastewater stream. This reserve will run directly into the city’s drinking water supply.
“El Paso, Texas, is the center of the universe in water recycling right now.” – Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations at the utility.
This is how the city will deliver 10 million gallons daily
In 2016, the utility initiated its pilot study, which tested the direct drinkable reuse of sewage and other wastewater with a four-phase treatment process. After sending the samples to state-certified laboratories for testing, the utility found that the samples met all potable standards. The acquired data was reviewed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which authorized the utility to proceed with designing a full facility.
The facility’s construction officially began in October 2024. The state-of-the-art purification process entails treated wastewater, which comes from the treatment plant in El Paso, going through a multi-barrier system. First, it undergoes reverse osmosis, meaning water is separated from other substances through a membrane. After that, hydrogen peroxide and UV light are used to destroy bacteria. Following that, chemicals or composites are absorbed by activated carbon. Finally, chlorine is added for disinfection.
According to Trejo, an online monitoring system with alarms and automatic shutdown is a prerequisite for TCEQ, which will find constituents missed in the treatment process. Finding viable solutions to provide citizens with clean drinking water is crucial, and this city’s facility may even inspire others to follow suit.
Inspiring others to follow suit
In 2028, El Paso’s facility will officially go online, and it will be the first of its kind in the country. While this approach to provide drinking water has been controversial for a long time, more and more cities are starting to explore direct reuse, especially as technology advances and reserves wane.
El Paso might be the first to put its money where its mouth is, but others are planning on following suit, including Phoenix and Tucson. Even the Texas communities, stretching from the Panhandle to the Hill Country, are interested in such a facility. Other states have implemented regulations to manage the treatment technology, such as California and Colorado.
Beyond supplying drinking water, El Paso’s residents and businesses will be educated by the utility to discourage the disposal of chemicals and pharmaceuticals down the drain. The world and its climate are changing, which means innovative approaches are inevitably required.