Converting wastewater to drinking water is becoming essential as climate change impacts traditional water sources.
El Paso is tackling its water challenges head-on with an innovative project that transforms wastewater into drinking water. Last Thursday, El Paso Water broke ground on a facility that will purify wastewater and send it directly to residents’ taps.
The new Pure Water Center will process 10 million gallons of water daily by 2028. It marks the first direct-to-distribution wastewater to drinking water facility in the United States.
For El Paso, planning for water scarcity isn’t new. The desert city receives less than nine inches of rain annually and has just experienced its two hottest years on record in 2023 and 2024.
Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations at the utility, noted during the groundbreaking that El Paso, Texas, is now the center of the universe in converting wastewater to drinking water.
The project comes after years of careful testing. El Paso Water initiated a pilot study in 2016 to evaluate the direct reuse of sewage and wastewater through a four-step treatment process. The water samples met all drinking water standards in state-certified laboratory tests.
After reviewing the pilot data, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) allowed El Paso Water to design a full facility. TCEQ gave final approval for construction in October 2024.
The purification process starts with treated wastewater from the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant. This water then goes through several cleaning stages.
First, reverse osmosis separates water molecules from other substances. Next, hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light are used to kill bacteria. Then, activated carbon removes chemicals or compounds from the water. Finally, chlorine disinfects the water.
The system includes real-time monitoring with alarms and automatic shut-down capability. Trejo explained that they would know well in advance if any thresholds of concern were approaching, allowing them to take action before problems occur.
The utility will also work to educate residents about not putting chemicals and pharmaceuticals down drains. However, the treatment process is designed to remove these potential contaminants when they inevitably enter the system.
Environmental advocates have raised concerns about certain chemicals in the purified water. The environmental group Food and Water Watch warns about the impossibility of monitoring every potential toxin in a direct potable reuse system.
Trejo addressed these concerns, saying the treatment process was designed to remove pharmaceuticals and other contaminants. He emphasized that their multiple-barrier approach to remove viruses, pathogens, and emerging constituents of concern is in place and represents a very robust system.
TCEQ spokesperson Richard Richter noted that the agency has worked with El Paso Water on this project since 2014. While there aren’t specific design standards for direct potable reuse facilities, the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act guide design choices.
Richter added that once the facility is constructed, multiple steps remain in the TCEQ review process before approval can be given for the facility to send water to customers.
El Paso Water CEO John Balliew described the Pure Water Center as the culmination of their efforts so far to diversify the water supply of El Paso.
The utility has spent decades building a varied water portfolio in the Chihuahuan Desert. El Paso historically relied on the Rio Grande, whose flows have decreased, and groundwater from the Hueco Bolson, an aquifer shared with Ciudad Juárez across the border.
Alex Mayer, director of the University of Texas at El Paso’s Center for Environmental Resource Management, praised El Paso’s efforts in “drought-proofing” water supplies. According to Mayer, the utility has been very effective in putting together plans that ensure water availability.
El Paso’s water reuse efforts date back to the 1960s, when it began distributing treated wastewater to irrigate outdoor areas. Since the 1980s, the utility has treated wastewater to drinking water standards to refill the aquifer.
In the 1990s, El Paso Water launched a successful campaign to reduce water consumption. Many residents replaced green lawns with native desert plants.
The utility opened the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in 2017. This facility, the largest inland desalination plant in the U.S., treats salty groundwater from the Hueco Bolson. The utility also bought land in Dell City, Texas, for future groundwater imports.
Federal funding has helped El Paso Water’s projects. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provided $3.5 million for the design of the advanced wastewater to drinking water facility in 2019 and $20 million in 2022 for construction. The total project cost is estimated at $295 million.
Balliew indicated that water from the Pure Water Center will cost about $500 per acre-foot, similar to desalinated water but more expensive than fresh water from aquifers and the Rio Grande.
Mayer praised El Paso Water’s “progressive water rates,” which charge less to households using less water, typically benefiting low-income residents. However, with nearly one in five El Pasoans living in poverty, he worries about the impact of rising water costs.
A 2022 study by UTEP researchers found that paying for basic water could become a significant burden for 40 percent of El Paso households as climate change and groundwater depletion drive up costs.
For homeowners concerned about the quality of water from wastewater treatment to drinking water systems, experts suggest installing water filtration systems as an extra precaution. Although the purified water will meet all safety standards, home filters can provide an added layer of peace of mind.
Businesses can prepare for the transition to recycled drinking water by reviewing their water usage patterns and adjusting accordingly. Companies that require ultra-pure water for manufacturing may need to adjust their internal filtration systems to accommodate the new water supply.
Educational institutions in El Paso are encouraged to incorporate concepts related to wastewater and drinking water into their science curricula. This can help the next generation understand and accept this sustainable approach to water management.
The first direct potable reuse plant in the world opened in Namibia in 1968. In the United States, Big Spring, Texas, began treating wastewater for direct reuse in 2013, though, unlike El Paso’s system, the purified water is mixed with raw water before distribution.
Several other cities are now following El Paso’s lead in converting wastewater to drinking water. Tucson accepted $86.7 million from the federal government to build a direct potable reuse plant by 2032. Phoenix plans to add direct potable reuse to its wastewater treatment plant by 2030.
See also: 8 Industrial Wastewater Treatment Solutions for Sustainability
Communities across Texas, from Amarillo to Dripping Springs, have included direct potable reuse in their regional water plans.
As El Paso Water begins construction on its advanced purification facility, which will transform wastewater into drinking water, water experts nationwide will be watching closely.
