Construction Begins On Nation’s First Direct-to-Distribution Water Reuse Facility

Building has begun on a 10-million-gallon-per day advanced purification facility in El Paso, Texas—the primary direct potable reuse undertaking of its form within the U.S. The purified water will complement native provides throughout dry seasons and cut back quantities which might be withdrawn from the Rio Grande.

El Paso Water (EPWater) labored with the Texas Fee on Environmental High quality (TCEQ) for greater than a decade to make sure that the consuming water produced at this facility will meet all state and federal necessities. In late 2024, TCEQ granted remaining design approval, permitting building to maneuver ahead. Designed by Carollo Engineers, the Pure Water Middle can be constructed by a PCL/Sundt Joint Enterprise underneath a $295-million CM-At-Threat contract.

EPWater has been working a pilot facility since 2016. The superior purification course of consists of membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet mild with superior oxidation, granular activated carbon filtration and chlorine disinfection.

The pilot plant was required by state rules, says Gilbert Trejo, vp of EPWater. “It was a studying course of to know all of the distributors and applied sciences on the market.” The company consulted with friends in Southern California and visited gear producers. “There have been hundreds of samples and outcomes, and lots of of tourists to the plant.” 

The brand new facility is a part of EP Water’s $1.2-billion general program that features a $595-million retrofit of the present Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Remedy Plant and a $230-million improve of the Haskell facility, all additionally being executed by the three way partnership, says Talwar.  The Bustamante plant will present the water that goes to the brand new plant.

“The know-how been in place for many years, and now the appliance is coming to the forefront,” says Ankur Talwar, district supervisor for PCL’s Civil Infrastructure Division. “There are actually teams and organizations solely centered on purification.”

Crews are working in a greenfield space adjoining to the Bustamente plant, starting with soil reinforcement. “There can be numerous giant concrete buildings, below-ground piping connecting amenities, and piping throughout the footprint to attach the processes,” says Talwar. “Every of those applied sciences require giant gear.” Some 10,000 cubic yards of concrete can be positioned and about 40,000 of linear ft of piping can be put in on the 13-acre web site.

The power will even function a de facto schooling/know-how heart, provides Nicholas Iannello, Sundt undertaking govt. “It has to look good.” 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded $3.5 million in 2019 for the ability’s design and dedicated a further $20 million in 2022 to assist building. The entire undertaking value is presently estimated at $295 million, and EPWater continues to pursue extra state and federal funding. Building is anticipated to be accomplished in 2028.

The technical points of designing the plant weren’t as difficult because the regulatory coordination, notes Caroline Russell, Carollo vp and chief technologist. “There are consuming water rules in place for standard groundwater sources.” However for a number of the new processes, “we needed to do exception requests.” The crew needed to develop the technical data that TCEQ wanted to grant the permits. 

Trejo provides: “We joined forces to push regulators out of their consolation zone. The regulators didn’t wish to give us as a lot credit score as we felt our remedy was doing. Carollo did the calculations and proof to persuade them we do deserve our remedy prepare.” 

“After we began the preliminary engineering, we noticed a chance to take contemporary have a look at the core remedy prepare,” Russell says. “The water reuse subject is advancing rapidly. We checked out UV advance oxidation with hydrogen peroxide or chlorine and methods to arrange the membrane filtration course of in order that down the road, there may be flexibility to usher in new membranes because the market advances.”