El Paso Water
- treatment
- El Paso, Texas
Project Scope
10 million gallons per day
Construction Type
New
Project Delivery Method
Design-Bid-Build
Project Components
Wastewater Treatment, Water Treatment, Ozone, PACT, Biological Filtration, Injection Wells, Storage Tanks, Pumping
The Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant in Northeast El Paso was the first in the nation to take domestic wastewater and produce potable water that meets state and nation drinking water standards through a rigorous treatment process. Working with El Paso Water, Parkhill recommended the development of wastewater facilities that could be used to reclaim wastewater for injections into the city’s largest subsurface water source, the Hueco Bolson.
Environmental and water quality data were studied extensively and the results were presented along with a plan to implement a treatment process. Public acceptance of the plan was achieved through a citizen outreach program. Parkhill and EP Water presented the plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who approved the plan and provided a $21 million grant to the city to construct the $33 million plant.
Built in 1985, the plant sends the wastewater through 11 processes that purify the water through a combination of physical, chemical, and biological treatment. Online analyzers evaluate the effectiveness of the process along the way.
The initial project employed a distribution system that conveyed the treated water to 10 injection wells, strategically placed throughout the Hueco Bolson. In addition to the recharge of the aquifer, the plant also supplies cooling water to a local power plant, spread basins, and a golf course – 100 percent of the effluent produced is used for aquifer recharge or to offset using new water pumped from the Hueco Bolson.
Read more about the original project
32 Years of Potable Reuse
Services Provided
Process, hydraulics, general civil, architectural
Awards
National Association of Clean Water Agencies Gold Award
Project Leadership
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