EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso Water broke ground on its newest Pure Water Center, the nation’s first direct-to-distribution water reuse facility, on Thursday, Feb. 27, along Pan American Drive in El Paso’s Lower Valley.
The facility, formerly known as the Advanced Water Purification Facility, will take water from the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant in a multi-step purification process to “go beyond drinking water quality standards before distribution to customers,” according to the news release by EP Water.
The center was designed by Carollo Engineers and is soon to be constructed by the PCL/Sundt Construction Joint Venture.
In addition, EP Water has been working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to meet all state and federal requirements. In 2024, TCEQ approved the final design.
“After years of planning, design and thousands of water-quality tests, we are excited to begin
construction on the Pure Water Center,” President and CEO John Balliew said. “This is the next step in El Paso’s long history of water reuse, and we hope it will serve as a model for other communities facing water-related challenges.”
The purification process includes membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light with advanced oxidation, granular activated carbon filtration and chlorine disinfection.
The total project cost for the facility is estimated at $295 million, and construction is expected to be completed in 2028.
According to EP Water, the Pure Water Center would provide an additional 10 million gallons of drinking water per day directly to residents.
“The groundbreaking of EPWater’s Pure Water Center represents a historic milestone for water reuse innovation,” Sanaan Villalobos, vice president and project manager at Carollo, said. “As the nation’s first direct-to-distribution potable reuse facility, this pioneering project showcases EPWater’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to water sustainability.”
In 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded $3.5 million for the facility’s design and in 2022, committed an additional $20 million to support construction, according to EP Water.
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